


The Years that Never Were

by secooper87



Series: The Child of Balime [15]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Sarah Jane Adventures, Torchwood
Genre: Action/Adventure, Crossover, F/M, Horror, Humor, Romance, Year That Never Was
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-27
Updated: 2013-09-12
Packaged: 2017-12-16 07:32:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 71
Words: 147,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/859525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secooper87/pseuds/secooper87
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two years that never really happened, but left their mark. The year of the Master and the Valiant. And the year of Buffy and the memory-lossed Doctor fighting Glory.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

** Prologue **

The landed Valiant was still perched just behind them. But the moment it had landed, the moment the passengers had stepped out onto the tarmac, Jack had seen Seo. Standing there. Waiting for him. Just the way she'd looked, before the Year had ever started.

Jack rushed out, grabbed Seo up into a tight hug. Told her, over and over again, that he forgave her, that he was sorry, that he hadn't run away from her, that he loved her. That he was and will always be proud of her.

The things he'd longed, for a year, to say to her.

And when they'd gotten through all the regrets, all the pains, all the reunions and revelations and I-love-yous, Jack leaned down. Hands on Seo's shoulders. Looked into her eyes, double checking.

"You… don't remember?" Jack asked her, quietly. "Any of it?"

Seo seemed puzzled. "Don't remember what?" she asked.

"The Year that Never Was."

Seo quirked an eyebrow at him. "You're going to have to be a lot more specific than that," she told him. "I grew up in the Axis. In a land of years that never were."

Jack scrutinized her more closely. Trying to find any traces of darkness in her expression. Traces of haunted eyes. Traces of that Year that might have lingered, even deep down in her psyche.

"The first year of my life never technically existed," Seo offered, bouncing on her toes, eyes glowing, expression light and cheery. "Is that what you're talking about?"

Jack stepped back, straightening. A grin plastered across his face, as he shook his head.

She didn't remember. Any of it.

Thank the universe for small mercies.

"Two years that never were," the Doctor mused, strolling up to them, hands in his trouser pockets. "Two worlds that ended, but never ended. Two worlds where time reset, and gave another chance. Your world. And the Valiant."

"Each with their own villains, heroes," Martha added, by his side, "and unsung champions."

Seo looked between the three of them. Utterly perplexed. Then shook her head, and gave an uneasy laugh. "What are you…?"

"Jack!" shouted Buffy's voice. "You're alive!"

They all three looked up, to discover Buffy racing towards them, breathless, her eyes fixed on Jack, her face overwhelmed with joy and shock and a thousand emotions all at once, her hair flying out behind her.

She knocked Jack to the ground, with the force of the hug she tackled him into.

"Someone's popular," Martha noted.

Jack grinned at her. "Not complaining."

Buffy pulled out of the embrace, then grabbed him up by the shirt, staring deep into his eyes. "Do not go mega-dying on us — _ever_ again. You got that?"

"Yes, Ma'am," said Jack, giving her a mock salute.

Buffy grinned. Then jumped back to her feet, turning on Seo.

"And as for you, Miss Let's-Lock-Mom-Inside-A…" Buffy trailed off. Her voice faltering, as she saw the expression on Seo's face.

The hints of tears welling up inside her eyes. The tremble in her jaw.

Buffy went up to Seo, her face bent into a frown of concern. "Seo?"

"I'm fine," said Seo, turning away. Wiping at her eyes. "Fine."

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

  
**Part I: Before the Year**

...

Martha's World:

_. . . . . . . . .The real universe. May, 2008._

...

"No, it's 'Toclafane'," the President of the Slayer Institute, Ria Hiskaloph, repeated over the phone, as she strolled past. "And they're not from the Hellmouth. The Tech Demons have no idea what they are. So they're—"

"Yeah, metal spheres," came Faith's voice, as she passed by. "So… not so much with the hand-to-hand."

"Magic?" Vi suggested.

"You know, they're probably not even hostile," said Faith, as they slipped off into the distance. "I wouldn't—"

"Flying spheres," said Willow, on the phone. "No, we're sure they don't have anything to do with the Demon Civil War… yeah, we'll keep looking for info on…"

"Dawn?"

Dawn jumped at the voice right beside her. Turned… to find Xander. Offering her a coffee.

"Meeting with the aliens takes place at 3 AM, our time," he said. "So no sleep for us Clevelanders."

"Yeah," said Dawn, taking the coffee. "Thanks."

She sipped it.

"Me?" said Xander, sitting down and leaning back in his chair. "I'm sure these Toclafane are just fine. Like G-man says." He grinned. "Gotta love knowing someone with inside connections to the English Prime Minister, huh?"

"Toclafane," Dawn repeated.

Thinking through the Harold Saxon broadcast she'd just watched, announcing the aliens.

Something about it had felt… off.

No. Not just something about the broadcast. Or something about the Toclafane.

Dawn spun around to face Xander. "This… Saxon guy. Who is he?"

Xander stared at her. "Wait, you're serious? Harold Saxon? Subject of a billion and one Willow fan-girl moments? Major celeb figure?"

"Yeah, yeah, got that," said Dawn. "But who is he? Where did he come from? Does he even have experience with this kind of thing?"

"Dawn," said Xander, with a laugh. "He's Harold Saxon!"

"But what does that mean?" Dawn asked. "We're putting all our lives into the hands of a newbie Prime Minister who's probably never seen an alien in his life! That sounds like a terrible idea!"

"He'll do fine," Xander said. He shrugged. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Dawn gave him a pointed look. "You mean besides the world ending and everyone dying?"

Xander cringed.

"You don't just rush into alien negotiations," said Dawn. "There's… research involved! Figuring out culture, dimension, reference points, language! I mean, how can you just…?" She stopped. Frowned, a little deeper. "Wait. The Toclafane… speak English."

Xander shook his head. "It was probably just dubbed over," he said.

But Dawn had already brought out the TARDIS key from around her neck. The one the Doctor had given her, years ago, that she still wore. It wasn't reacting the way it should, if the TARDIS were around.

So why were the aliens speaking English?

She brought up the recording of Saxon's broadcast on the computer, again. Watching Harold Saxon, on the screen, introduce the Toclafane.

Dawn leaned in closer. Squinted.

"You okay?" Xander asked.

"I've met him!" Dawn cried, pointing at the screen. "Harold Saxon! I'm sure I've met him somewhere before!"

Xander blinked. Then blinked again.

Dawn glanced back at Xander. "Isn't there something super familiar about him?" she asked. "It's like… I know him… but I can't place him."

"I dunno," said Xander. "Sorry."

Dawn sighed. Took out her cell phone. "Something's wrong, here," she said, dialing Buffy's number. "Mega-wrong. And I need to figure out what, before the Toclafane arrive."

* * *

Buffy laughed. "Dawn," she said, walking outside, just in front of her apartment building. "Relax. I talked to Giles. He says these Toddle Cane things—"

"Toclafane," Dawn corrected.

"Toclafane things," said Buffy, "are totally fine."

"I major don't like it, Buffy," said Dawn. "I mean… doesn't Harold Saxon seem familiar?"

"No."

"Like I've met him before," Dawn continued. "I don't know where, or when, but I'm sure I've—"

"Look, Dawn, just don't worry," Buffy interrupted, not wanting to talk about Mr. Politician anymore than she had to. She pushed through the gate to the small garden at the back of her apartment building. "Even if the Toclafane are bad, there's going to be a gazillion UNIT guys on the Valiant. And Giles. He's there as some behind-the-scenes mega advisor. Just don't freak out over this, k? The Toclafane are all with the good intentions, the Valiant is well guarded, and there's… absolutely… no way… this… could…"

Buffy trailed off. Stopped speaking, altogether, as she noticed what Seo was doing in the backyard.

"On second thought," Buffy told Dawn, "Code Red. Put the Institution on full alert."

And hung up.

Seo shot her head up, as she noticed Buffy standing right in front of her. Large brown eyes widened. She hid the gigantic drum of emergency water she'd been carrying across the yard behind her back. Then positioned herself to stand just in front of the large metal door, trying to block it from view.

"This… isn't what it looks like!" Seo assured Buffy.

Buffy crossed her arms. "No?" she asked. "Because it _looks_ like you're building a bomb shelter."

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Seo's World:

_. . . . . . . .Axis Alternate Timeline. Sunnydale. September, 2000._

...

"I'm sure it was just… a joke!" Willow told Xander, as they piled into Giles' house, putting down the picnic beach stuff onto Giles' desk.

"Yeah, joke," Xander said, scraping alien goo off of him, with a disgusted face. "'Who cares if you're a complete waste of time and space?' That's _really_ funny."

"He _did_ still pull you out of that alien's mouth," Tara pointed out.

"'Waste of time and space'!" Xander said.

Anya was actually pretty happy that the Doctor had snubbed Xander, and not her. It meant Buffy had still not explained to the Doctor what a 'vengeance demon' actually was. And what Time Lords traditionally did to them.

Giles poked his head into the front room, frowning at the group that had just arrived back from the beach. "I thought you were—"

"So did we," said Xander. "Until Boyfriendish showed up, and the beach got overrun by aliens who tried to digest me."

"Xander finally saw the Doctor's jealous side," Willow explained to Giles.

Giles, noticing the goo dripping from Xander's body, grabbed up a towel and tossed it to him. "Jealous? Of Xander and Buffy?" He glanced at Anya.

"Don't ask me," Anya said, with a shrug. "I didn't see anything wrong. But that's Time Lord sexuality, for you. It makes no sense."

Giles shifted awkwardly. "I… see."

"Yeah, Time Lords have all kinds of weird fetishes," Anya continued, oblivious to the awkwardness that was spreading through the room. "I mean, have you seen their hats?"

"Uh… Anya…?" Tara tried to put in.

"And you know the Doctor's obsession with the size of his sonic screwdriver has to mean something," Anya continued. "After all, there's no way…"

"Anya," Willow cut in. "We get it."

Xander kept wiping off alien gunk. "He's got no right to be jealous, anyways," he said. "He and Buffy have been together for 9 months, now, and he still just calls her his 'friend'."

Willow and Tara exchanged a look. They had both figured, the moment _they'd_ come out in the open, Buffy and the Doctor would, too.

But… nope!

Still just 'Boyfriendish'.

Anya collapsed onto the couch. "Maybe the Doctor's the most amazing sex god ever," she said. "And _that's_ why Buffy's still with him."

"Can we stop talking about Buffy and alien sex things?" said Willow. She gave a small shudder. "It's making me uncomfortable."

She huddled in a little closer to Tara, who comforted and cuddled her.

"Well, if we're going to start gossiping about time in the bedroom between two _humans_ …" Xander said, with a hopeful eye on Willow and Tara.

Willow and Tara looked at one another. The look of two women who'd heard this a thousand times.

"Nice try, Xander," said Willow. "But no. We'll keep ourselves to ourselves."

* * *

Buffy leaned against the side of the threshold of the TARDIS, which had been moved, at the beginning of the summer, into her basement. Buffy's arms crossed. Stake in hand.

"…and you're not listening to a word I'm saying, huh?" she asked the pair of trainers sticking out from under the central console.

The only response she got was a loud sparking from beneath the console, and a shout from a slightly frazzled Time Lord who'd just singed his fingers.

Buffy sighed. Once upon a time, she'd gotten jealous of the way the Doctor would obsess with his ship instead of paying attention to her. Particularly when he started calling the TARDIS pet names and saying things that, in Buffy's opinion, should be reserved for _her_ , and even then only in private.

But at this point, she'd accepted it. This was just… what he did.

"Well, if you're going to obsess over your ship," she called out, very loudly, "I'm going to go stake some vampires."

No response from the Doctor. Which proved… he definitely wasn't listening to her.

"Yep," Buffy said, twiddling her stake in her hands. "In fact, I don't really feel like giving chances or warnings or anything, tonight. I think I'll just go down to the graveyard. Wait for them to show up. And then stake them through the heart."

The Doctor said something muffled back to her. Something that sounded like a vague affirmation.

Buffy shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Aliens and their time machines," she muttered, turning to leave him to it. Then stopped. Her smile hesitating a little on her lips. She glanced back over her shoulder, at the little blue box with the great big inside. "You know, if you ever do find a way to get this thing working, again… I'm going to really miss you."

Another spark and sizzle from the TARDIS console.

Buffy figured she should leave, now, before things heated up too much between her alien not-quite-boyfriend and his telepathic time ship.

She had Patrol, anyways.

And as she rushed through the cemetery, chasing a vampire, ducking and dodging and weaving through the tombstones, she felt that exhilaration. That rush of adrenaline and excitement. That feeling of eagerness, growing inside of her, as she zeroed in on the vamp, rushed at him with stake raised.

The Doctor had the TARDIS.

And Buffy had this.

The vamp cried out, as it turned to dust. And vanished into the night.

"An impressive hunt," said a sexy, smoking male voice with a vaguely Eastern European accent. "Such power."

Buffy spun around. To find a dark, attractive man behind her. Mystery about his every feature. Long, dark hair, dreamy eyes that seemed to melt anyone they peered at, his entire figure svelte, fit, and attractive.

"That was no hunt. Just another day on the job," said Buffy. She twirled her stake in the air, then caught it, immediately dropping into her ready-to-fight stance. "Care to step up for some overtime?"

"We are not going to fight," the man said. "Buffy Summers."

His voice lingered over the syllables of her name, tongue stroking every vowel, flicking across every consonant.

"You… know my name," said Buffy.

"Naturally," said the man. "You are known throughout the world. It is why I came here. To find you."

Buffy felt a smile pulling at her lips, despite herself. "Who are you?"

"Forgive me," said the man. "I thought you knew." He stepped forwards, his face pale yet handsomely carved, his eyes glimmering like ice beneath the moonlight. "I am Dracula."


	2. Chapter 2

Martha's World:

"Okay, time to come clean," Buffy demanded. "What are they?"

Seo shuffled. "What are what?"

"The Toclafane," said Buffy. "You obviously know something about them. Or you wouldn't have pulled that stint on election day. You wouldn't have made such a fuss about Torchwood going to the Himalayas. And you wouldn't be building a bomb shelter!"

"I don't know anything about the Toucan Flames!" Seo insisted.

"Toclafane!" Buffy corrected. "And if you don't know anything, then why did you build that?" Pointing at the bomb shelter.

"Because of _you_!" Seo shouted back.

Buffy paused. Stared at Seo. "What—?"

"Harold Saxon," said Seo.

Buffy frowned. A deep seated chill running through her, but she dismissed it, automatically.

"There! See?" said Seo, pointing. "You did it again! Harold Saxon."

"Did what again?" said Buffy, dismissing another chill. "What are you—?"

"You do it all the time!" said Seo. "Every time you hear his name, you do it! Every time you bring up anything having to do with him, you do it!"

"I'm not doing anything!" Buffy insisted. "I'm just—!"

"You shudder," said Seo. "The tappy thing. It makes you shudder. Or hit your head on the wall. Or kind of crumple in on yourself. Or—"

"I don't like politics," said Buffy, starting to get uneasy and twitchy, already. "Or… politicians."

Seo shook her head. "It's not…. Okay, let's test it!" She gave her mom a pointed stare. "Tony Blaire! Harriet Jones! Gordon Brown! Mayor Richard Wilkins!"

Buffy didn't feel anything. Not anything at all like what she usually felt when people brought up politics.

"It's not politicians, Mom!" Seo said. "Just _him_. Harold Saxon. _That's_ who you're…" She stopped. Then stepped back, warily. "You're going to kill me, now, aren't you?"

Buffy shook her head. "What?"

"I tried to tell Giles," said Seo. "Way back at the beginning, when I figured out Archangel wasn't what it seemed. He kept subconsciously putting me in situations that would kill me. Until it became clear I didn't actually know anything about Saxon. And Giles stopped."

Buffy gaped at Seo.

"It was the same with Torchwood," said Seo. She touched the tender spot on her back, where Gwen had shot her. "They'd never have shot me, if they were thinking clearly."

"Seo, I'm not going to kill you," Buffy assured her. "Just… what's going on? Harold Saxon… is…?"

"I don't know," said Seo. "But he knows you. You've met him before, sometime in the past. And every instinct and reflex you have is screaming at you to get away from him."

Buffy wasn't sure what to say to this.

"He's been manipulating everything over the past year," said Seo. "Trying to kill you. Draining Willow's magical energy. Doing that thing with the phones…"

"What with the phones?" Buffy asked.

Seo gritted her teeth in frustration. "Just… you remember. When I first arrived? And you kept saying I was brainwashing everyone to believe in me using some psychic signal transmitted over the phones?"

Buffy felt uneasy. "Yeah…"

"That was all true," Seo said. "But _I_ wasn't the one doing it."

Buffy felt her jaw drop.

Because, deep down inside, part of her knew… Seo was right.

"I'll call Giles," Buffy said, taking out her cell phone. "He'll listen to me. He needs to—"

Seo grabbed Buffy by the arm and swung her back. "No! That's the other failsafe! If the people don't want to kill me, they feel an urge to run over and warn someone close to Saxon! Someone who'll make sure the message gets back to him. His wife, or Giles, or… anyone at the Defense Ministry."

Buffy's hand shook, around her cell phone.

"Mom, please!" Seo begged. "You have to believe me. In the next 24 hours, the world's going to end. And no one's left who can save it."

"But—"

"Torchwood's in the Himalayas," said Seo. "The Slayer Institute's been doing everything Saxon says for the past year. The demons have been massacring each other. UNIT's completely under his power—"

"Wait, UNIT's what?" said Buffy.

"You've been staying away from them," Seo pointed out. "Taking fewer and fewer jobs from them. Feeling uncomfortable whenever you're around them. So they have to be under his power. Just the same way Giles is."

A horrible feeling sprung up in Buffy's chest.

"Saxon has every planetary defense in the palm of his hands," said Seo. "Every bit of alien tech. Every ounce of mystical energy. If he turns it all against us, we can't fight back."

"That's why," Buffy realized, "on election day, you were trying to disable—"

"Yes. To give us a chance."

Buffy stared at the bomb shelter. Taking it all in. Then turned back to Seo, with renewed determination.

"In that case, we're not spending the apocalypse hiding in a bomb shelter," Buffy said, taking the gallon of water from Seo's grip. "We're fixing this!" She grinned. "The two of us aren't hypnotized. So we can stop him! We can… override… the psychic… signal…"

She stopped, at Seo's angry stare. Remembering… what Seo had created, in the Torchwood hub. A machine designed to use the Archangel Network to broadcast an overriding psychic signal.

The machine that Buffy and the other Torchwood members had dismantled and destroyed.

Damn.

"Okay, okay," said Buffy, hands against her head. "Major oops-moment on my part. But… we can go to Cardiff, create the whole machine, again, and…"

"The machine that took me three months to build?" Seo asked. "Using parts that were irreplaceable, that you destroyed?"

"You… can come up with substitutes?" Buffy tried. "Do something smart?"

Seo shot her mom a pointed look.

"Okay, yeah," Buffy sighed. "You're bad with the hypnosis-brainwashing thing. I know."

"We missed our chance, anyways," Seo said. "I needed to do it on election day. That was the only time!"

"Okay, let's… just… regroup, inside," said Buffy, leading Seo back into their apartment. "Think this all through. We've saved the world before, with less information than this. I know we can save it, again."

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Seo's World:

Anya had left, but, besides her, the others had basically decided to have their party, anyways, at Giles'. With less partying, less beach, and more pizza. Which had been going pretty good, until…

Buffy burst through the door to Giles' house. Face flushed. Eyes excited.

"I just met Dracula!" she told them.

Everyone looked at everyone else. Not really sure what to say.

"Buffy, are you sure this was really…?" Willow asked.

"Total yes!" said Buffy, walking into the room. Her eyes drifting off into the distance, a smile still on her face. "He did the whole turning-into-a-bat thing, and the accent, and the whole sensual coming onto me thing, and… it was so him! So the real Dracula!" Her smile grew. "And he's here because he's heard of _me_!"

"He turned into a bat?" asked Xander. "That… actually… sounds…"

"Pretty cool," said Willow.

"And… and… did I mention he'd heard of me?" said Buffy. "Like, me, specifically? Because he has! Count Famous has heard of me!" Her eyes, once again, went unfocused. Drowned in her own inner thoughts. "And the way he said… my name… was just, like…"

"Sexy?" Willow guessed.

"Kinda," Buffy agreed. "He of the dark, penetrating eyes and lilty accent…"

Xander began to get increasingly uneasy, as he realized what was going on in Buffy's brain. "Uh… not to mess up this whole ego trip you're going on," he said, "but… you do remember that you're currently going out with Scary Alien Boy, right? Who can get seriously jealous?"

Giles got up from his desk, advancing towards Buffy. "Perhaps Xander is right," he said. "The Doctor is prone to… rather drastic action, when he is so inspired. It might be for the best that we don't tell him what's happened, tonight."

"Yeah," said Willow. She immediately held up her hands, in innocence, the moment Buffy turned on her. "I mean, not that he isn't great or anything. But… before he lost his memories, he told me the last time he had a really, really bad day was the day he destroyed his own planet. And… I'd rather this planet stuck around for a while, you know?"

But Buffy wasn't looking at Willow with accusation in her eyes or anger in her limbs. Just a sort of detached whimsy, and a small grin.

"I can't believe Dracula had heard of me," she said to herself.

Willow, Giles, Xander, and Tara all exchanged looks. They knew what was going to happen. They were just hoping they'd be around, when the Doctor showed up, so they could limit any fallout resulting from the death of the Buffy-Doctor relationship.

Right on cue, the door burst open. Revealing a tall, perky-looking alien in a pinstripe suit and trainers.

"Elizabeth!" he cried, a grin on his face. "Brilliant! You're here." He raced over to where Buffy was still lost in a sea of fantasy. "Think I might have patched up some of the wobbly bits along the base of the console. Always a chance they might be what's causing the problem. Any rate! Wanted to try it out. Figured you'd want to tag along, just in case—"

Buffy fixed her eyes on the Doctor. Then jumped up, her smile turning into a full sized grin, as she grabbed at his arms.

"Dracula hit on me!" she announced, excitement in her voice.

For a few seconds, silence fell across the living room.

Giles looked at Willow. Willow looked at Xander. Xander looked back at Giles. All trying to figure out how the hell they could dig Buffy out of this one.

"Dracula?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes!" said Buffy, delighted.

"Full scale, black cape, Bram Stoker style, turn into a bat, 'I vant to suck your blood' Dracula?" the Doctor asked. "With the accent and the…"

"…dark, penetrating eyes, and the sexiness," Buffy agreed. "He hit on me. Me, specifically. Tonight! He knew my name and everything!"

For a moment, another silence.

Then the Doctor clutched at Buffy's arms, his eyes lighting up. "That's brilliant!" he cried.

"I know!"

"You were seduced by a fictional character!" the Doctor said. "Well, I say fictional. Based on fact. Vlad Dracule III, Prince of Walachia, also known as Vlad the Impaler. And you've met him!"

"I know!"

"In 2000 AD," the Doctor continued, "you, Buffy Summers, were sought out and seduced by a vampirized version of one of the most bloodthirsty rulers in Romanian history, who appears to have taken on the guise and personality of his fictionalized counterpart! You, specifically! Brilliant!"

Buffy looked supremely proud of herself. "If you're very good," she said, "I'll introduce you."

This made the Doctor even more excited. He now began pacing across the living room, his hands flying, as he launched into his happy ramble — so fast that the others could just barely manage to pick out the words.

"…and then," he said, "if you become even more famous, who knows who's next? Could be…" He spun on Buffy, pointing. "Oh! Next time, could you get seduced by the Dark Lord Sauron? I always wanted to meet him!"

"Sorry," said Buffy. "I don't go for guys that are of the Great-Big-Fiery-Eyeball variety."

"Or… Lord Voldemort!" the Doctor continued. "Oh, that would be brilliant. Wouldn't it? Being seduced by Lord Voldemort?"

Tara leaned over to Willow. "He… does understand the meaning of the word 'seduce', right?"

Willow was starting to have her doubts.

"I guess… maybe the Doctor doesn't think of Dracula as being all that big a threat to his relationship with Buffy," Willow muttered.

Xander crossed his arms. "Wait, so… the Doctor sees _me_ asmore of a threat to his relationship than Dracula?" he grumbled. Then… realizing what he just said, started. "Hang on. The Doctor sees me — Xander Harris — as more of a threat than dark-smoldering-eyes man." He pumped out his chest. "All right."

Giles was still staring out at the Doctor and Buffy, who had continued right on with their banter, not noticing anyone else in the room.

"I don't think I quite understand their relationship," he confessed.

"Me neither," said Xander, strutting out of the room. "All I know is, I'm pretty sure I just out-sexied Dracula! And that calls for some serious Anya time."

* * *

"Dracula?" said Anya. Her face flushed with sudden excitement. "Really? He's here?"

Xander thought that was beside the point. He'd been trying to explain that, according to some alien he didn't trust or even like very much, he, Xander Harris, was sexier than Dracula. But Anya hadn't caught onto that part.

"Did he mention me?" Anya asked.

Xander blinked. "Wait, _you_ know Dracula?"

"Oh, yeah, we… hung out," said Anya. "Back in my demon days." She looked off into the distance, her eyes going unfocused. "Tall, dark. Handsome."

Xander cleared his throat.

"Only once or twice," Anya said, snapping out of it. "But… yeah. He was pretty cool. In an evil vampire kind of way."

"Yeah," said Xander. His pride bristling a little. "Don't you think I'm more sexy than—"

"Oh, of course you are," said Anya. Coming over to try to comfort him. "With all your muscles and beautiful blue eyes, and…" She trailed off, her eyes going unfocused. "…seductive accent…"

Xander thrust her away. "That's not me!" he said. He pointed at her. "You're thinking of Dracula, again."

"Of course not!" said Anya.

Xander clenched his fists by his sides. This was _not_ how he'd been expecting this conversation to go.

"Hey, maybe you could ask Buffy to drop my name, next time she sees Dracula!" Anya proposed. "So we can catch up."

Xander felt the anger rising in his throat.

"Just… catch up… a few times," Anya said. "Once or twice. That's it."

Xander's entire body tensed. "Oh, go Dracula-Spotting with the Doctor and Buffy yourself!" he snapped. "Me? I'm out of here!"

Anya froze. Her expression faltering on her face.

"Dracula Spotting?" she asked.

Xander opened his mouth to snap something back, but Anya cut in, first.

"No, no, wait!" said Anya. "The Doctor. Time Lord. Alien Boyfriendish. Is purposely going out. To find Dracula. Who's here to seduce Buffy?"

And… no, but it couldn't be… except it _was_ …. A touch of fear in Anya's voice. A touch of concern. For… the Doctor!

Anya gave a small, uneasy laugh. "Wow," she said. "I guess he really _doesn't_ remember. _Anything_."

Now Xander's anger was falling away. "Wait, what?"

Anya looked over at Xander. "Well, the Doctor and Dracula are ancient enemies," she said. "Going back centuries. Dracula totally _hates_ him."

Xander felt his head spinning. "But Buffy says the Doctor doesn't hunt vampires. He'd never…"

"Xander, both the Doctor and Dracula are mysterious, handsome-looking not-quite-human men who show up throughout history and try to convince pretty young girls to run off with them," said Anya. "And… turns out? They have basically the same taste in women."

Oh. Oh, that… explained… that.

Anya shrugged. "It's always the same. The Doctor and Dracula show up, somewhere. They both meet the same girl — in different circumstances. The Doctor wants her alive, Dracula wants her dead. They both realize the other one's there, and fight it out."

Xander stepped back. Realizing that… if Dracula found out about Buffy's relationship with the Doctor…

He grabbed up his coat, and made a b-line for the door. "I've got to go."

Anya jumped to her feet. "What? But… but… why?" She raced forwards, trying to catch Xander before he could leave. "I thought you didn't even really like the Doctor!"

Xander looked back at Anya. "This isn't about him," he said. Then turned, and headed into the night. "I've got to save Buffy."


	3. Chapter 3

Martha's World:

"So… on election day," Buffy said, pacing her apartment. "What were you actually trying to do?"

Seo hesitated. Curled up on the couch.

"You're… not going to tell Giles?" Seo asked, in a small voice.

Actually, Buffy was furiously trying to think past the mental block that kept screaming that she should run and tell Giles everything. Which was frustrating, because she needed a plan, and if she could stop thinking about how she _had_ to call Giles, right now…

Giles is in trouble. Have to warn Giles. Have to tell Giles. Giles should know. Giles has to know. Have to check in with Giles, make sure…

No!

Bad Buffy. Think plan.

"I'm not telling Giles," Buffy assured Seo. "But whatever apocalypse is going on, he's right in the thick of it. If there's any way to warn him before Saxon's plan starts up…"

Seo nodded. "I know."

Which probably meant… she'd already tried to save Giles. With no success.

"This machine thing you built, that Torchwood destroyed," said Buffy. "What were you trying to do with it? Specifically. Destroy Archangel? Brainwash everyone back? Make them—"

"Saxon's sending out a signal telling you to believe in him," said Seo. "Believe anything he says. Trust him. Don't question, don't doubt, don't have any second thoughts." She shrugged. "My machine was programmed to send exactly the same signal. But from _me_."

Buffy frowned. "But why…?"

"Because I'm rubbish at hypnosis!" Seo said. "Whenever I tell someone to obey me without question, they wind up questioning _everything_. I'm not a good enough hypnotist to override the signal. And the last time I almost blew up Archangel, I got Willow in trouble. So I thought, if I just sent exactly the same signal…"

"Then everyone across the world would begin to question it," Buffy realized. A grin lighting up her face, as she understood, completely, what her daughter had tried to do. "That's really smart."

"I thought so," said Seo, proudly.

"If you'd done it when we weren't all in the Hub, you could have pulled it off," Buffy said.

Seo shook her head. "I had to do it when everyone in the UK was thinking about him," she said. "It had to be election day." She looked down at the floor. "I… just… wish I'd stopped Torchwood from going to the Himalayas. I hope they're okay."

Oh, no.

They'd been sent on that trip by Saxon, himself, hadn't they?

"At least I stopped you," Seo whispered.

Buffy held her head in her hands. Okay. Okay! So Buffy had screwed up this whole thing!

Guilt trip later!

Save the world, now.

"Tomorrow," said Buffy, spinning around to face Seo, a grin lighting up her face. "Meeting the Toclafane. On the Valiant! Saxon's in charge of that whole thing, and everyone in the world will be watching. They'll all be thinking Saxon! It's another chance!"

"You took apart my machine," Seo pointed out. "I don't have time to build another one."

"Well, yeah, not another really big one," Buffy agreed. "But what about a little one?" Her eyes lit up. "To de-brainwash everyone within a very small area?"

Seo frowned, staring at Buffy, a little confused.

Buffy walked up to Seo. Knelt down, so she was at Seo's eye level, an excited beam on her face. "Could you do it?" she asked.

"I think so," said Seo. "What area?"

"The Valiant," said Buffy. "And every guard, alien expert, and alien fighting defender onboard." She grabbed up her daughter, pulled her to her feet. "The world's best alien defense groups are going to be on that ship. And if Saxon's an alien, I'm guessing the moment they work that out, they'll be able to take him down. Easy."

* * *

Ria, on the Slayer private jet, put down another research book, having gone through it in excruciating detail. "Still nothing on any 'Toclafane'," she said. She glanced back at Dawn. "We're flying over the tip of Greenland, now. Half way there."

Dawn nodded. Her eyes were still fixed on her laptop, which was playing clips she'd downloaded, before the plane had taken off. Clips of Harold Saxon's speeches.

"Something wrong?" Ria asked.

"I'm sure I've met Saxon," Dawn confessed. "I just can't place him."

Ria turned the screen. Examined the footage, carefully.

"I haven't met him," Ria offered. "So you didn't encounter him with me." She glanced back at Dawn. "He isn't from Sunnydale, is he?"

"Xander said that, last year," Willow said. She walked over, and crouched down by Dawn and Ria, her eyes on the computer screen. "He said he was sure he'd seen Saxon wandering around Sunnydale."

"Okay, in my defense," Xander called, from his seat, surrounded by the other 16 people from the Slayer Institute that had come along, "I'd just been hypnotized by Seo, and my brain was all super-weirded-out."

Ria snapped her head over to Xander. "Wait, Seo?"

Xander faltered. Embarrassment washing across his face. He looked away, fumbling to find a handy paper bag he could shove over his head.

"Yeah, Seo," Willow confirmed. "Why? Is that important?"

Ria's eyes fell back on Dawn. Remembering… that Dawn had been right about the ghosts. Right about the Hellmouth. Right about the Tech Demons. Right about so many things that none of the rest of them had seen, ever since Seo had first shown up. As if having both Dawn and Seo, here, on Earth, together, heightened some sixth sense in both.

"Vitally," Ria said.

Dawn just kept watching Harold Saxon, on the laptop. Watching as he and his wife stood outside of Saxon HQ, a smile on his face. He addressed the crowd.

"This country has been sick!" he announced.

"Look, there can't be anything wrong with Saxon," said Faith.

"This country needs healing," said Saxon, on the laptop.

"Giles works for him, right?" Faith added. "And we've been getting tips from him for a year, now."

"This country needs medicine," said Saxon, on the laptop.

Dawn squinted at the screen.

"Yeah, if there was something wrong about him, we'd know," said Vi, from not far off.

"In fact," said Saxon, on the laptop screen, "I'd go so far as to say that what this country really needs," with a broad smile, "is a Doctor."

Dawn started backwards, as realization smashed across her. Her eyes going wide. Her mouth falling open. Her eyes never leaving Saxon's tapping fingers.

Tapping…

Tapping…

"No," said Dawn. "No, no, no!"

Remembering… that look of complete hatred, on the face of an alternate-timeline-Buffy. The tap-tap-tap-tap rhythm, repeated over and over again. The feeling of getting smacked across the face...

"It can't be," Dawn said. "It's impossible. It _has to be_ impossible. It—"

"What?" asked Willow. Analyzing Dawn, carefully. "Are you okay?"

Dawn spun on Willow. "What does he call Buffy?"

"Huh?" asked Willow.

"Saxon!" said Dawn. "He offered Buffy a job, remember? He knows Giles! When he talks about Buffy, what does he call her?!"

"Nothing special," said Ria. "He just calls… her…" She stopped. Frowned. A little confused.

"Elizabeth," Willow breathed. "He always calls her Elizabeth."

And none of them had noticed.

Xander jumped out of his seat. Rushed over to them. "Wait, wait, Saxon's… I mean, you can't seriously think he's…!"

Dawn played the footage for them, again.

"The way he says 'Doctor'," said Dawn. "The tapping. That kind of creepy smile. It's all there! We've seen it before!"

"Elizabeth," said Willow. "It's all exactly what Elizabeth did."

"But that's not Elizabeth," said Xander, pointing at the screen.

"No," Dawn agreed. "It's way, way worse than that. This isn't Elizabeth. _This_ is the guy who destroyed her." She looked at Xander and Willow. Recalling every piece of information she'd gotten — Seo's ability to easily hack the unhackable Archangel, the tapping, the resurrection with a changed face. "Harold Saxon isn't human. He's not from Earth. Not even from this timeline. Harold Saxon is a Time Lord. He's the Master."

"Wait, what?" said Ria.

Then the plane shook, violently. And began to tilt, downwards, into a nosedive.

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Seo's World:

The Doctor was perched on the end of Buffy's bed, by the window, like an excited little boy waiting for Santa to show up. His eyes searching the outside, analyzing every little black speck, as if… perhaps… that speck could be Dracula!

"I told you, I don't think he's going to show up, tonight," Buffy said, trying to suppress a laugh, as she climbed onto the bed beside him.

"But he might," the Doctor pointed out, his eyes never leaving the window. "Never know!"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "And if he does," she said, "I'm guessing you're going to get him to autograph that _Dracula_ book you're holding?"

The Doctor looked down at the copy of _Dracula_ that he was holding in his hands. Along with a pen, tucked neatly into the book. Guiltily, he hid the book behind his back. "Course not."

Buffy couldn't suppress her laughter, this time. And just seeing that look on his face — that delighted, eager excitement, the way his eyes danced, the way his grin seemed to illuminate the air with happiness….

Well, that was enough to send Buffy's mind spinning in a totally different direction.

"You know," said Buffy, crawling a little closer to him. "Mom's out for the night."

The Doctor didn't seem to take the hint.

"We are here," Buffy continued. "Together. Alone. On a bed. With nothing to do until morning except wait." She shot him her sexiest smile. "I can think of a way to make that time go a lot faster."

The Doctor glanced between Buffy, and the window. His brow furrowing.

"But… but…" He pointed to the window. "Dracula! We might miss him!"

"Or make him jealous," said Buffy.

Another moment of indecision, as the Doctor's eyes went back to the window. Thinking it all through. Then he glanced over at Buffy, and something else came into his eyes. Something that sent a thrill through Buffy, every time she saw it. A look he'd never have given her, before he'd lost his memory.

He tossed the book over his shoulder.

"Well," he said, advancing on Buffy. "Let's get to it, then."

* * *

The air outside the Summers' house was dark. Still.

Save for one bat. Flying through the air.

It hovered for a second, thinking. Then fluttered towards the window to Buffy Summers' bedroom.

There she was.

Buffy Summers. The legendary Slayer.

She wasn't waiting for Dracula. Wasn't watching for him. No, she had found someone else, it seemed — some insignificant human to spend the night with, fantasizing it was _he_ , Dracula, licking her earlobe. Nibbling her neck. Kissing her…

The bat that was Dracula felt his blood freeze.

As he recognized the person who was with Buffy Summers.

* * *

Xander tried to think up what he could say when he showed up at Buffy's house. In the middle of the night. Unannounced. When Buffy was already feeling seriously turned on and aroused, and was spending the night alone, in her bedroom, with someone she absolutely adored.

Okay, actually, on second thought… maybe Xander's warning could wait until morning.

From high above the street, a bat swooped down towards Xander, who stumbled back. A bat that, in a puff of smoke, turned into a tall, dark, handsome vampire.

Xander took another step back, instinctively. Then, realizing what he was doing, advanced forwards, anger in his eyes. "Oh, no, you don't!" Xander said. "I know what you're up to. And you can just forget it, because I'm telling—"

"Silence," Dracula commanded, with a deep, penetrating stare.

Xander went stock still. "Yes, master."

Then recoiled, eyes wide, hand over his mouth. "No!" said Xander. "That's not—!"

Dracula held up a hand, and Xander fell silent, again. Despite himself.

"You'll be my emissary," Dracula said, in a soft, lilting, rhythmic voice, his eyes imprinting the command through Xander's mind. "My eyes and ears. You'll tell me everything I want to know."

"Yes, master," Xander said.

Dracula stepped closer to him. Eyes staring deep, hard. "Tell me," he commanded, "about the Doctor."

Xander gave a curt nod. "The Doctor is a Time Lord," he reported. "An alien, who travels through—"

Dracula waved his hand, and Xander fell silent. "That I know," Dracula said. "Explain his presence, here."

And so Xander told him everything.

About the Doctor's growing relationship with Buffy since the day she met him, back in high school. About the Facksisil of Balime, which erased the Doctor's memories. And how Buffy had decided not to give the memories back. About the grounded TARDIS, that was no longer able to get him off the planet. About how Buffy and his relationship had changed, once he no longer had the emotional baggage to restrain him from going all the way with her.

Dracula smiled, wider and wider, as he absorbed this all.

"Then the Doctor is ignorant of me," Dracula said. "He remembers nothing of our encounters. Nothing of our past battles. Does not even know enough to fear me."

"Yep, basically, yeah," Xander said.

Dracula gave a little chuckle. "The Slayer was a fool, not to restore his memories," he said. "She has delivered my enemy right into my hands. I will destroy the Doctor, and turn his companion into my own. Infect her with the darkness of her own heart."

Xander smiled back. "Wow," he agreed, genuine awe in his voice. "You are… just… so smart! You'll definitely kill the Doctor and Buffy. For sure."

And he meant it, too.

Meant every word, just as strongly as he could feel the surge of Dracula's power pouring through his mind. Just as much as he was swept up by the tidal wave that was… this totally amazing, awesome vampire guy.

"And just to rub it in his face," said Xander, "right before the Doctor dies, you can tell him that he wiped out his entire home…"

Xander stopped.

Because somewhere inside his mind… somewhere that was still fighting and struggling, somewhere that still knew that it _couldn't_ let Dracula do this… he still remembered that Buffy had told him never, ever to say this.

Dracula looked at Xander, curiously.

"His home planet?" Dracula guessed. The news seemed to make him even more happy than he'd been before. "You mean he doesn't know?"

Xander shook his head. "He thinks Buffy did it. Okay, not thinks. He vaguely suspects that Buffy might have had some part in it. Buffy's decided not to correct him."

Dracula drank this in. "Interesting." He waved a hand at Xander. "Go now. By the end of this night, the Doctor's fate will be sealed. You must lead the others away from suspicion. So that, by the end of the next night, the Slayer will be mine."


	4. Chapter 4

Martha's World:

All of Buffy's appliances were now in pieces. Microwave. Dishwasher. TV. Everything that had any electronic components to it at all had been dissected and spread out across the floor.

And, apparently, Seo had been destroying Buffy's devices on a far more regular basis than she'd thought. Because most of these things, when you opened them up, were being held together using alien tech and duct-tape.

Buffy, in the meantime, was thinking through all the demons, vampires, aliens, and Big Bads she'd gone up against, who might have been resurrected and calling themselves Harold Saxon.

"Oh, what about… that Hansel and Gretel demon?" Buffy proposed. "That one could change shape. And it brainwashed entire populations, trying to get them in a witch-burning frenzy."

"Maybe," said Seo, continuing to piece the device together.

Buffy shook her head. "Except that demon was more the appear-as-dead-kids kind of controlling," she said. "And this Saxon… just… feels… really Richard Wilkinsy, to me. Being all with the charming and the witty and the mild-mannered. I even said Saxon gave me Mayor flashbacks!"

"Richard Wilkins," said Seo. "Mayor of Sunnydale." She looked up at her Mom. "You mentioned him, earlier this year. So I… started looking him up. But nearly all the records were destroyed with Sunnydale."

"He tried to turn himself into a full-scale demon," said Buffy. "I blew up the school to destroy him."

"Maybe it didn't destroy him completely?" Seo offered.

Buffy shook her head. "No, he was definitely dead. The First showed up as him. If he's back, now, it's because someone resurrected him." She collapsed down onto the couch. "And somehow resurrected him as a human being. Not even looking the same. Which doesn't make sense!"

"I don't think it's him," said Seo, very quietly.

Buffy glanced up at Seo. "Why?"

"Because when you say his name," said Seo, "you don't react the way you do with Saxon's."

Buffy absorbed this. She didn't think she shuddered when she said _anyone's_ name. Or anyone who wasn't a Higher Power banned from this dimension forever.

Except…

"Glory," Buffy whispered.

Oh, that was a name that still made her tremble.

Seo froze. Her hand shaking, as she held a piece of the device.

"She's dead," Seo whispered.

"But she was one of a triumvirate, remember?" Buffy said. "Maybe Saxon… is one of the other two."

Oh, Buffy hoped not. She really, really hoped not.

Buffy got up. Went over to her. Knelt down, hands over Seo's own trembling ones, and met her eyes. "Seo," she said, quietly. "This… Saxon. Is there anything you've seen that tells you there should be some kind of… connection between you two?"

Because of all of them, Seo was the one person with the most Glory in her.

Seo hesitated. Real fear in her eyes.

"But… but… even so, he _can't_ be a god!" Seo insisted. "Gods aren't subtle or sneaky — not when they have real power."

"So he's not powerful," Buffy said. "That could make sense. Maybe the dimensional separation drained most of his—"

A crash, as the door was slammed in. Five UNIT soldiers entered the flat, pointing guns at Buffy and Seo.

"Buffy Summers," said one of the soldiers. "You're under arrest."

Buffy and Seo looked at one another. Then Buffy gestured for Seo to stay put, and got up, slowly putting her hands in the air.

"What for?" Buffy asked.

"That's top secret," said the UNIT soldier. He nodded at his fellow colleagues, who came forward, with handcuffs.

Buffy sighed. "Then I guess I've got no choice," she said. Then ducked, flipping the UNIT soldier with the handcuffs over her head, the move morphing into a sweep that knocked the second one to the ground.

The first soldier, still by the door, raised up his gun. Aimed.

And was knocked down by Seo, flying at him, tackling him to the ground. The gun pulled out of his hands, tossed aside, as she knocked him out with a well-aimed punch to his head.

"Seo!" shouted Buffy, grabbing up the device Seo had been tinkering with, and rushing forward. "Fire escape!"

Seo turned, and followed her mom out of the apartment.

The two of them racing as fast as they could down the grating of the fire escape, the shouts and march of soldiers behind them. The sounds of guns cocking overhead.

Seo smashed her way through a window, and yanked Buffy inside someone else's apartment moments before the shooting began. They rolled across the ground, tangled together in a pile on someone else's kitchen floor. Looked up at a very startled old lady, who was staring at them as if she couldn't quite believe it.

"Glaziers union representative," said Seo, as she pulled Buffy up off the ground. "We smash up windows when glaziers aren't making enough money."

Shouting from outside, and Buffy glanced around, then yanked the two of them towards the front door of the old lady's apartment.

"Try double-paned, next time!" Seo added, as they rushed out the door.

Buffy and Seo leapt down the steps two at a time, then zipped out of the apartment building, racing past a few befuddled UNIT soldiers that were waiting in the car, on the street. And clearly weren't expecting Buffy and Seo to be outrunning their colleagues.

The soldiers immediately grabbed up weapons, and pursued them.

"You're under arrest!" they called, as Buffy and Seo rounded a corner. "Any resistance will be considered an act of aggression from an enemy combatant, and will be dealt with accordingly!"

"Enemy combatant?" Buffy cried. She glanced over her shoulder. "What's _your_ apocalypse-prevention count, mister?"

The question was answered with a gunshot that just barely missed hitting Buffy in the shoulder, as she dodged out of the way.

"I knew I shouldn't have told you," Seo hissed. "If I hadn't…"

Buffy sighed. "Yeah, if Saxon's gonna end the world, I'm guessing he was _always_ planning to take me out before he started. Nothing to do with you."

The rapid firing of guns, pursuing Buffy, as she and Seo began to weave across the street, ducking between buildings, trying to avoid the shots.

"He probably doesn't even know you're alive," said Buffy.

Seo's eyes lingered on the CCTV camera, nearby. The camera they were racing past, that was tracking their every movement. Then she turned to her mom. Squeezed her hand.

"Trust me," she whispered.

Buffy glanced at her. "What…?"

Seo reached into her pocket, grabbed a liquid-looking gel packet up in her fist, then punched Buffy, in the chest, right where her heart was. Buffy staggered back, clutching her chest where Seo had hit her, the half-constructed brainwashing device toppling from her hands.

Buffy looked down. Red paint had stained her shirt, right where Seo had punched her.

"What?!" Buffy cried.

Why the hell did Seo have packets of red paint in her pockets in the first place?

Seo said nothing. Just punched Buffy, again, in the same spot. Then placed a hand on the side of Buffy's neck, and, with a gentle squeeze along just the right nerve, Buffy fell against the pavement, her vision going black.

* * *

"Direct hit!" said Saxon, putting his feet up on the desk, as he watched the CCTV footage.

Buffy, staggering, her hands clutching her heart, as the bullets whizzed around her. Blood oozing out onto her shirt. Then, with one more bullet shot, she collapsed to the ground, seemingly dead.

Saxon flicked off the CCTV footage. Grabbed up the walky-talky. "Make sure the standers-by know this is a dangerous terrorist we took down," he reported to the UNIT teams. "Do a clean-up. Then bring in the body. But be careful — if she was taken down this easily, chances are, she isn't really dead."

The confirmation of the UNIT soldiers chorused through the walky-talky.

"Well, hope Elizabeth's not planning on receiving resurrection help from Willow Rosenberg," he told his wife, leaning back in his chair. "Because I'll be taking Rosenberg down…" he checked his watch, "oh, right about now."

"You're so brilliant, Harry," Lucy said, adoration in her eyes.

Saxon picked up a glass of iced tea, nearby, sipping it, a grin still on his face. "Of course I am," he said. Took the little umbrella out from his drink, fiddling with it, a child-like laugh issuing from his lips. "Only a matter of time, before—"

A sudden surge of static through the walky-talky.

Then… complete silence.

Saxon stopped. Looked at the walky-talky, with interest. Went to the CCTV footage, flipped it on, to discover a group of knocked out UNIT soldiers, and no more Buffy Summers.

Huh.

Only one person he knew who could have done something like this, then.

"Well played, Doctor," he said, a smile on his face. "I wonder how you managed that."

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Seo's World:

The Doctor awoke, in the middle of the night. True, he never slept, much. But there was something else that awakened him, this time. A sound… at the window.

Window!

He jumped out of bed. Pulling back on his suit, gathering back up his book and pen. He hopped down the steps and out the front door, trying to tie up his trainers as he did, with the _Dracula_ book between his teeth. Then looked round.

No Dracula.

He scanned the area with his sonic. "Pseudo-psychic transmogrification," he mused, checking the readings, "using an energy trail that vaguely resembles a sort of self-vaporization. Should be untraceable." He grinned. "Unless you're a genius. Like me!"

With only a brief glance back at the sleeping Summers' household, the Doctor charged off, following the energy trail the screwdriver had given him.

"In which case," the Doctor said, "allons-y!"

* * *

"Oh, that's just...!" the Doctor said, as he approached the imposing, creepy castle. He peered at it, scratching the back of his neck. "Bit posh, actually. Come to think of it." Then he grinned, heading inside the castle. "But, well. Suppose we can't all live in beautiful transcendental time ships, now, can we?"

The trace ended in a great big stone dungeon, ill lit, manacles covering the walls and a coffin lying in the middle of the room.

"And, since we're overdoing the melodrama, already," the Doctor said, tucking his sonic screwdriver away and approaching the coffin. "Only natural that you'd wind up hiding…" With a grunt of exertion, lifting the coffin lid, "…inside…"

The Doctor stopped.

The coffin was empty.

"You followed me," came a vaguely Eastern European accent, behind the Doctor.

The Doctor spun around. Grinned, moment he saw the figure who'd just appeared out of thin air.

"Oh, so that's what I was picking up!" the Doctor said. "Clever, that. A sort of psychic transmogrification that's hidden in the style of water vapor. Psychic rain! Well, psychic fog. Well, evil psychic fog." He rocked on his trainers. "Suppose that gives a bit of a different meaning to having a black cloud over your head, doesn't it?"

"You've abandoned your beloved, just when she is most vulnerable," Dracula said. "You should have stayed, protecting her. But instead, you sought me out."

"Who, Elizabeth?" the Doctor said. He shrugged. "Yeah, suppose I _could_ have stayed behind. 'Protect her', as you say. But… well…" He gave a wink. "Truth is… she doesn't need it."

"You don't fear me," Dracula observed.

"Course not!" the Doctor said, taking out his book and pen, and handing them over to Dracula. "Bit of a fan, to tell you the truth. Autograph?"

Dracula didn't take the book, or the pen. "No, that's not why you're really here," he said. "You came for information." He paced slowly towards the Doctor. "Answers, from me, about your own past."

The Doctor peered at Dracula, a confused frown washing across his face. "Sorry," he said. "Have we met?"

Dracula made a gesture at the shadows, and the Doctor felt himself suddenly pulled back and restrained by a myriad of super-strong, scantily clad vampire women, hissing in his ear.

The book and pen fell to the floor.

"You are doing a very good job of imitating someone," said Dracula, picking up the Doctor's pen and book, examining them with a small laugh, "who is a fool." His eyes went back to the Doctor. "But I know you better than that."

"No, really," the Doctor said. "Thing is, memory went a bit… well… you know. Little less than a year ago. Can't remember…"

Dracula gestured to the vampire women, who dragged him backwards, stuffing a gag into his mouth, and binding him firmly with ropes.

"Yes, Doctor, we _do_ know each other," said Dracula. Malice in his icy eyes. "Five hundred years, we have known each other. Fought each other. Battled one another across the world, the body count piling up around us everywhere we went. Five hundred years, Doctor, I have learned to despise you."

The Doctor gave a muffled groan, at the melodramatic speech.

"But, as I said, you didn't come here for _me_ ," said Dracula. "To learn about _my_ past. You came to learn about yourself. _Your_ past. To see what I know about the man you used to be." His eyes gleamed. "Because your Slayer will not tell you."

The Doctor fixed suddenly curious eyes on Dracula.

"No others of your kind," Dracula said. "All alone. No home. No one left besides yourself." He gave the Doctor a pointed stare. "Why, I wonder, would Buffy Summers be so eager to hide the reason for this from you? Imprison you here, on Earth, in ignorance?"

The Doctor went very still. As a hint of horror spread through his expression.

"Ah," said Dracula, a cold smile on his face. "So you _do_ know the truth. Deep down inside."

The Doctor didn't move. Barely breathed.

"Then this is how you die," Dracula told him. "As your love shatters, and you face up to the truth about your Slayer." He ripped the gag from the Doctor's mouth. "Anything to say to that?"

The Doctor cleared his throat. Glanced up at Dracula, a stubbornly light expression plastered across his face. "Well, maybe _one_ thing."

"Yes?"

The Doctor leaned in, conspiratorially. "If you and I know each other so well," he whispered, "then why," flicking his eyes down to the paperback and pen still in Dracula's hands, "did you still pick up that pen?"

Dracula's eyes went wide, as he looked down at the pen — now flashing red at the tip. He dropped it and stumbled back, but too late.

The top of the pen opened, emitting a brief flash of white light. The vampire girls shrieked, releasing the Doctor and doubling up in pain. Even Dracula held his head in his hands, pain in his eyes.

"Might not remember meeting you," the Doctor said, slipping the sonic screwdriver from his sleeve, where he'd hidden it, and undoing the ropes binding him. "But it wasn't hard to work out." Shaking off the ropes. "Thanks for the confirmation!"

And ran, fast as he could, past Dracula, out of the dungeon and through the rest of the castle.

"Get him!" Dracula shouted, smashing the pen with his shoe.

The Doctor darted through the great hall, as he heard the vampires gaining on him. Aimed his sonic at the bolts holding the chandelier to the ceiling, while he ran past. With a crash, it came down between himself and the vampire women.

Dracula's form began to shimmer, and the Doctor paused, scrambling with the settings on his sonic. Buzzing it at the spot where Dracula had already begun to disappear. "Oh, no, you don't!"

Dracula popped back into his normal form, transmogrifying powers temporarily stunned out of him.

"Ta for now!" The Doctor called, with a beam, then sprinted for the front door. Hand on the doorknob. Home free.

And that was the moment it hit him.

Like a thousand needles, driven into his mind, all at once. No, worse. Far worse. Like someone with enormous power — no, an entire group of someones — trying to tear open his mind, rip past his mental defenses. Dig down deep inside, all the way to his fragile few memories, all the way…

The Doctor stumbled, and fell. Sonic dropping from his hands.

No. No! He forced himself back to his feet. Reached for the door. But the mental assault began, again. Digging, tearing into his mind, slicing at his thoughts with a terrified desperation.

"No," the Doctor said, as the assault ramped up another notch, and he felt his body's natural defenses responding to the threat. Shutting down his other systems, diverting all energy into expelling the force from his mind.

The doorknob slipped through his fingers.

He was back on the floor, again. A creeping numbness sweeping through him. He tried to fight against the unconsciousness, tried to get up, make it out the door. But the assault ramped up, yet again…

Footsteps, around him. Dracula's boots. His cold, hard laugh.

As the Doctor melted into unconsciousness.

* * *

Buffy awoke, in the middle of the night, sensing that something… was wrong.

She sat up, and jumped, as she saw the tall, dark, handsome man sitting beside her, on the bed. She geared up for a fight, but he put a finger against her lips, and all the fight went out of her, in a second. No, she didn't want to fight. Just stared, deep into those eyes…

"You are magnificent," Dracula whispered to her.

Buffy jerked away from him. "Bet you say that before you bite all the girls."

"No," said Dracula. Leaning in to her. "You are different. Kindred." His eyes gleamed in the moonlight. "Pull back your hair."

And Buffy found herself doing… exactly what he told her. Without really knowing why.

He grabbed her up by the shoulders — and she let him. Feeling his desire for her coursing through both their bodies.

"Don't fight," Dracula said, bending down towards her. "I can feel your hunger."

And he bit her neck.

She gasped, in pleasure.


	5. Chapter 5

Martha's World:

Dawn and Ria raced to the cockpit, as the plane jolted, again. Threw open the doors, to discover…

The two pilots, slumped over, not breathing, not moving, their faces deathly pale.

Ria and Dawn rushed over, feeling for vital signs, but knew that they were already too late.

"Both dead," Ria said, her eyes on the two coffee cups smashed against the ground, where they'd been dropped.

"Poisoned?" Dawn guessed.

Ria looked up. The plane was now completely out of control. Buckling and crashing across air pockets, barely able to stop itself from doing a nose dive, every system going crazy and bleeping a thousand warning lights at once.

Not just poison.

Sabotage.

Ria spun around. "Anyone know how to—?"

"Yes!" Shannon cried, pushing through the crowd. She dove into the cockpit, brown hair flying behind her, as she grabbed up the controls.

"How—?" Dawn began.

"Dad was a pilot," said Shannon, twisting the plane out of its nosedive. "On a naval base. He taught me."

Everyone was thrown to the ground, as Shannon used a pocket of air to boost the plane back into the sky.

"If Caleb had cornered and stabbed me with that ring on an airplane, instead of a pickup truck," Shannon said, punching buttons, checking settings and readings, "I'd have pasted his sorry ass." Then she paused, as she got to one button. Pressed it again. And again. "Oh, no."

"That's bad," Faith guessed.

Shannon spun in her seat. "Everyone go back to the cabin, and assume crash positions," she said. "This isn't going to be fun."

Ria nodded. Turned to Dawn. "Go. Make sure they're safe." Then rushed over, and strapped herself into the co-pilot's seat. "What do I need to do?"

"Ria, don't," Shannon said. "The most dangerous place to be, when we crash, is right here. You—"

"I said, what do I need to do?" Ria asked her.

Shannon hesitated for only a moment. As the other Slayers all piled out of the cockpit, strapping themselves in, assuming crash positions. Then began to instruct Ria on what needed to be done.

As the plane plummeted through the air…

* * *

Seo had only needed to make a very small modification to the wiring of her device to turn the machine into a knock-out device. Turning the psychic signal that controlled the soldiers back on them, overwhelming their minds, thus wiping any memory of what they'd been doing, and knocking them unconscious.

They'd wake up with a headache.

But no memory of Seo. Or of orders to kill Buffy.

Now, Seo ran, Buffy slung over her shoulder, the half-built brainwashing device in hand. Racing past the knocked-out UNIT soldiers, and down the street.

Seo arrived back at the bomb shelter — carefully disguised so no cameras could pick it up, no detection equipment would notice it, and no one but Seo's friends and family would be able to see it at close range — then shoved Mom inside. Chained her up, so Mom couldn't escape, then administered the drug Seo had prepared ahead of time, to make sure Mom was out for the count for long enough to make this work.

"Sorry, Mom," Seo told her, when everything was ready. Stepping back, the hints of tears in her eyes. "But… I didn't build this place for _me_."

Then Seo picked up the device. Tucked it beneath her arm. And ran off.

* * *

"Of course Elizabeth's still alive," said Saxon. "I'd say it's a certainty. She doesn't die that easily." He grinned. "Oh, Doctor. What did you do to bail out your little slayer this time?"

Lucy trailed after her husband, doting on his every word.

"But this 'Elizabeth' still won't be a threat," Lucy insisted. "Right?"

Saxon grinned at her. "Course not!" he said. He stopped in front of the mirror, straightening his tie, examining his reflection. "At large. But not a threat. Not with Willow Rosenberg out of the way."

That had been a lucky catch, on his part.

Willow Rosenberg. Who'd had the most astounding amount of psychic power he'd ever seen. Enough to single-handedly destroy all his plans before he'd even started.

But he'd dealt with that problem, already.

"You know, I was just thinking," Saxon told Lucy, turning to her. "Rupert Giles. Helpful fellow."

"Extremely," Lucy agreed.

"I think he deserves a reward," said Saxon. He put an arm around his wife's shoulders. "Why don't we show him his quarters onboard the Valiant a little early?"

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Seo's World:

"Oh!" said Willow, the next day, at Giles' house. She walked over to Buffy, a book open in her hands. "Here's something about Dracula. Basic factoids and stuff."

Xander, in the corner, scoffed. "Yeah, like some puny little book would be enough to stop the…" He paused, realizing everyone was staring at him. "…Doctor," he put in, quickly.

They all turned back to what they were doing, before.

"A lot of it we already knew," said Willow, showing the book to Buffy. "Turn offs: wood, fire, crosses, garlic. Turn ons: nice duds, minions, and long slow bites that last for days…"

"Where _is_ the Doctor?" Giles asked, a cup of tea in hand.

Xander jumped in, before anyone else could get the chance. "Probably in his TARDIS. You know what he's like."

"Or he's already defeated Dracula," said Tara, leaned over a book, "and is about to march in here, any minute, and tell us all how brilliant he is."

"No way!" said Xander. "The Doctor wouldn't be able to…" He stopped. Coughed.

The others ignored him.

"We did discover," Giles mentioned, putting his tea down on the desk and coming over to Buffy, "that Dracula likes to live in style. So we should check the nicer places, first. Don't you think, Buffy?"

Buffy said nothing. Her eyes fixed off into the distance.

Willow frowned. "Buffy?"

Buffy snapped out of it. Turning to Willow and Giles. "Uh… yeah. Right. Swanky places. Got it." She fidgeted with the scarf draped around her neck.

Willow's frown deepened. She exchanged a worried glance with Giles, then leaned down to Buffy, and, in a gentler voice, "Buffy. Do you know where the Doctor is?"

Buffy's hand went up to her neck. "No," she said. "Why… should I?"

"Well, you were with him, last night," said Willow. "And you haven't ranted about how he ditched you for his ship, yet, like you usually do when you wake up alone, so… he must have still been there in the morning."

Buffy's eyes stared off into the distance. "I guess… he left," she said. "While I was still asleep."

Willow and Giles exchanged another worried look.

"Yeah, well, he's just being a jerk," Xander chimed in. He crossed his arms, then muttered, "That show-off, know-it-all, thinks he's so great…"

"Buffy," Giles cut in. "You… didn't notice? That he left? You weren't upset?"

Buffy frowned in confusion, hand rubbing the side of her neck, again. "I… guess… not." She looked around. "You know, I never checked. Did he come in here, today?"

Giles looked down at her, steadily. "Take off your scarf."

Buffy shot back, away from them. "No."

Tara looked up from her book. Watching the altercation with surprised eyes.

"Willow has informed me," said Giles, "that Dracula doesn't just kill to feed. He goes through the  
motions of an intimate seduction, first. Using his mental powers to draw his victims under his thrall."

"Yeah," said Buffy. "But I'm not… thrall-able."

"See?" said Xander. "She's not thrall-able. Like I said. Totally normal."

"Then take off your scarf," Willow said.

Buffy tightened her grip around her scarf. "I like my scarf!" she said. "Why can't I wear a scarf?! The Doctor wore a scarf. I want a scarf, too." She stumbled to her feet. "And, anyways, I got to go look for Dracula. Take him out."

Willow lunged for the scarf, but Xander interposed himself between Buffy and Willow, before she could get a hold of it.

"The lady said no!" Xander insisted.

Buffy took advantage of the distraction, and raced out the door.

"That definitely looked thrall-y to me," Tara said.

"Okay, so Buffy's acting weird and the Doctor's missing," said Willow. "Sounds like it's Scooby rescue time!"

"Unless this is all just part of another sneaky Buffy-Doctor plan," Xander cut in.

The Scoobies all looked at him.

"You know, like they did with Adam, last year?" Xander said. "Making us all think we're totally screwed, when, actually, the two of them have worked out some super plan thing they're not telling us about?"

Everyone exchanged looks. Realizing that… Xander could easily be right.

"Best be on the safe side," said Giles, collecting up his weapons. "Xander, Anya? Find Buffy. As for Willow, Tara, and myself… I think it's time to find Dracula."


	6. Chapter 6

Martha's World:

Dawn's head spun, as she felt herself pulled from the crash wreckage of the Slayer jet. She coughed, trying to clear the smoke from her lungs, her arms and legs feeling wobbly and scratched up and throbbing.

"Woah, there," said Faith, steadying her. "You okay?"

"I think," Dawn said. She looked at all the others, around her, currently trying to dig out survivors. The plane was a total mess, but all the people looked pretty okay. Scraped and bruised and coughing, but… no major injuries. "How are we all injury free and…?"

"Willow," said Faith.

Willow was sitting, not far away, looking tired and drained and worn out. Her face pale, her eyes sunken. Kennedy knelt beside her, trying to comfort her.

"Magic spell," Dawn muttered. "Protecting us."

"Most of us," said Faith.

That was when Dawn noticed the three dead bodies, on the ground, nearby. Two Slayers — both young, far, far too young — and Nadia. Who'd survived being tortured by insane vampires, but hadn't managed to survive the Master.

"I tried to protect everyone," Willow said. "I… just…" She shook her head, "…didn't have the energy."

Dawn looked at the group of survivors. Her eyes growing wide, frantic, as she noticed two people missing.

"Ria!" Dawn said. "Shannon! Where…?"

"We're still looking," said Kennedy. She shook her head. "But even if we find them… all the fatalities were people sitting at the front of the plane. And the two of them… were right at the impact of the crash."

Dawn felt a horrible chill flood through her.

No.

Ria. One of her closest friends. The one who always believed in her.

Ria had been about to get married. Dawn had already bought the most ugly bridesmaid's outfit in the world for it! And Ria had ordered a custom-made wedding dress designed to hide a really huge alien gun inside the train. And… now… she was…

"Dawn was at the front of the plane, too," Willow pointed out. "And she's basically fine. There's hope."

Dawn felt herself trembling with rage and fury. Staring at the smoking husk of the Slayer's private jet. The place that had become a tomb for her best friend.

"I'm going to kill the Master for this," Dawn promised.

Faith rolled her eyes. "With only two in the universe? No you won't," she said, racing off to help the others search.

Dawn paused. Frowning. "What…?"

"The Master from Elizabeth's timeline," said Willow, in a quiet voice, "is a Time Lord. The only other Time Lord out there. The only two in the universe." Her eyes rested on Faith. "Faith knows something about that."

Dawn bit her lower lip.

Realizing that… Willow was right. Didn't matter if the Master was evil, or wanted to feed them all to a giant snake, or anything like that. The Doctor would never let her kill the Master, any more than Buffy would let them kill Faith, during that year with the Mayor.

Buffy…

Oh, God, Buffy!

Dawn took out her cell phone. No reception. No, of course not, they were in the middle-of-nowhere Greenland. There wouldn't be.

Damn.

"If he hurts Buffy," Dawn warned, putting her phone away, "all bets are off."

Willow looked down at the ground. "Agreed."

A cry, from the wreckage, and everyone surged forwards, all helping tear away broken bits of plane. A large chorus of relieved voices rang through the air, as the Slayers lifted someone out of the debris.

Dawn recognized the face of the person that had been pulled out. Sprinted, fast as she could, forwards.

"Ria!" Dawn shouted, scrambling up the wreckage. "Is she…?"

"Alive," said Vi, helping the others carry Ria down. "Injured. We gotta find a hospital."

Dawn watched, as her friend was laid out on the ground, the Slayers all scrambling to find a first aid kit in the crash, checking Ria over to figure out what was broken and what was just sprained, some still by the wreckage, trying to drag out the other one. Ria opened her eyes. Groaned.

"Shannon…?" Ria asked, in a hoarse voice.

Amanda shook her head. "Didn't make it."

Ria absorbed this. Lying down on the grass, an expression of pain — emotional and physical — on her face. "She… saved all our lives," she rasped. "Hero."

"Okay, everyone, get back," said Xander, yanking people away. "If TV's taught me anything, it's that injured people need 'some air', 'some space', and 'the support of viewers like you'."

Dawn took the opportunity to push through the crowd, and kneel by Ria. Squeezing her hand.

"Hey," said Dawn. "You're going to be okay. Right? I mean, Mark would totally flip if you bailed on the wedding by going all heroic-self-sacrifice."

Ria fixed her eyes on Dawn. Opening her mouth to say something, but instead sucking in a surge of pain, running through her.

"And we were going to start that new fashion line," Dawn put in, hurriedly. "Remember? _Summer Styles You Can Hide Demon-Killing Super-Weapons In_? I'm sure that's going to be the next in-thing. That's worth surviving for. And then there's—"

"Dawn," Ria cut in, a grin on her face, despite herself. "I'll survive. Stop giving me the 'you've got something to live for' pep-talk."

Ria struggled to sit up, using Dawn's help to lever herself into the correct position. Her face had a large scratch down the side, and there were burns along her arms. But her eyes — were just the same as ever.

"Instead," said Ria, "you can start telling me who this 'Master' really is. And why he wants us dead."

* * *

"A friend," the Doctor told Jack and Martha. Leaning back against a warehouse, chips in hand. "At first."

"I thought you were going to say the Master was your secret brother or something," Martha muttered, sitting down on a nearby crate.

The Doctor quirked an eyebrow at her. "You've been watching too much TV."

"But the legends of Gallifrey made it sound perfect," Jack insisted. "How come the ancient society of Time Lords created a psychopath?"

The Doctor tilted his head from side to side, considering. "Well, perfect to look at, maybe." He popped another chip into his mouth. "Children of Gallifrey — they were taken from their family, age eight, to enter the Academy." He sighed. "And some say that's where it all began. When he was a child. That's when the Master saw eternity."

* * *

"He's a Time Lord," said Dawn. "Like the Doctor. Except evil."

"We don't actually know that much," Willow added. "But… there was this other-timeline version of Buffy. Elizabeth. She showed up, in Sunnydale, when Buffy was dead. The Master was trying to implant a copy of his personality inside Elizabeth, and she was struggling to fight it off."

"We got a pretty good indication of the basics, from that," Xander confirmed.

Ria nodded, slowly.

* * *

"As a novice," the Doctor explained, "the Master was taken for initiation. He stood in front of the Untempered Schism — that's a gap in the fabric of reality, through which could be seen the whole of the vortex." His eyes unfocused, as he was lost in the memory. "You stand there, eight years old, staring at the raw power of time and space. Just a child. Some would be inspired, some would run away. And some… would go mad."

* * *

"He wants to conquer the world," said Xander. "Kill everyone."

"And… games!" said Willow. "That was another thing. Remember? The Doctor always told Elizabeth to stop treating tragedy and death like it was points in some game they were playing."

"He's massively hypnotic," said Dawn. "Big on the brainwash thing."

"Seriously smart, too," Xander added. "Able to dissect human gadgets and gizmos and use the parts to build super advanced devices that run off temporal radiation and burn out everyone's brains."

"And he _hates_ the Doctor," Willow said.

"Totally hates him," Dawn agreed.

"Despises him," Xander confirmed.

Ria absorbed this. "And… the Toclafane?"

Dawn slumped in place. "I don't know," she admitted. "But whatever they are, they're bad. And probably completely under the Master's power."

"And what about Giles?" Ria asked. "He's been working for Saxon for the past year, and giving us tips and things. We've been acting on his information."

Everyone looked at everyone else.

It was pretty clear… Giles and the rest of them had accidentally been working to the Master's agenda, this entire time.

"You guys," said Xander, quietly, "if the Master gets his hands on Buffy… for a single second… he could turn her into Elizabeth. And not even killing him would be enough to undo that."

The silence echoed through everyone there. As they let the full horror of this sink in.

Willow stood up. A determined expression on her face. "I'm going to England," she decided. "I've got enough magic to make it."

Kennedy sprung to her feet. "Are you crazy?" she shouted. "You're super weak, already! If this Master guy does attack, and you've used up all your magic getting there, you're going to be useless!"

"Buffy never met Elizabeth!" Willow insisted. "She has no idea who Saxon is, or what she's facing. She'll race off to fight him, and never stand a chance. I _have_ to warn her!"

Xander stood up, as well. "Willow," he said.

Willow turned to him.

He clapped her on the back. "Good luck."

Willow smiled.

Then she turned, sprinted forward, and, in a burst of magical energy, zipped into the sky and vanished from sight.

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Seo's World:

They looked for Dracula all day.

But found nothing.

And as Giles, Willow, and Tara stepped out of their fifteenth swanky house, and saw the sun going down, they knew they had to hurry.

Because if this wasn't a Doctor-Buffy plan… Buffy was going to be dead, very soon.

* * *

Anya answered the door. A little confused, when she saw who had knocked. "Buffy?"

"Is Xander there?" asked Buffy.

"That depends," said Anya, eyes suspicious. "Did you bring along any Time Lord Uncreators who happen to remember they're supposed to be hunting down ex-vengeance demons?"

Buffy shook her head.

Anya smiled, swung open the door. "Yes, he's here!" she said. Then, calling back, "Xander!"

Footsteps echoed through the apartment.

"So, Dracula, huh?" said Anya. She leaned in, a little, and whispered, "He didn't mention me, or anything, right? You know, just… in passing? Like, 'Oh, hey, I wonder how that Anya's doing!' Or…"

Xander appeared, and Buffy stepped away from Anya.

"I'm ready," Buffy said, a hint of raw need in her voice. "Take me to him."

* * *

"You know, I've lived in Sunnydale my whole life," said Willow, her eyes looking up. "And I don't ever remember seeing _that_."

She pointed at the great big castle in front of them.

"I'm sort of more surprised to see _her_ ," said Tara, pointing instead over to Anya, who was walking down the sidewalk, towards them.

They all turned. Confused.

"Anya?" asked Giles. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, Buffy showed up," said Anya, stopping just in front of them. "Asked Xander to take her to Dracula." She patted her hair. "But I stayed behind to make myself a little more presentable, first. Before I tagged along."

Giles, Willow, and Tara all stared at her.

"You knew where Dracula lived this whole time?" Willow asked.

Anya gave a little shrug. "Well, not exactly," she said. She nodded over at the castle. "But… there is this great big castle that randomly appeared out of nowhere. It doesn't take a genius to work it out."

"No, sorry, one moment," Giles interrupted. "Anya. You found Buffy? And took her here?"

" _Xander_ took her here," Anya corrected. "Because she asked him to." She reflected. "You know, I was kind of surprised she wasn't sadder about what happened to the Doctor. But I guess that's Dracula, for you. He's kind of overpowering."

"What do you mean, what happened to the Doctor?" asked Tara.

Anya looked at them like they were idiots. "Well, the Doctor's dead," she said. She studied them, carefully. "What? You guys didn't know?"

Their eyes widened. Obviously, they didn't.

"What…? How…?" Willow said.

"The Doctor went off to Dracula's castle last night," said Anya. "With no memory, and no idea that Dracula has actually considered the Doctor to be the biggest pain in his backside for the last 500 years. And now… the Doctor's missing."

"Dracula actually knows the Doctor?" Giles asked.

"Uh… yeah," said Anya. "They're both attracted to the same type of women. And they both wander around, acting all mysterious, trying to get those women to come away with them." She peered at them. "Didn't Xander tell you guys this, earlier?"

They all shook their heads.

"Well, he should have," said Anya. "I told him last night."

Giles went very grave. "Oh, dear," he said. Realizing what he should have realized a long time ago. About Xander. "We've all been… rather foolish, haven't we?"


	7. Chapter 7

Martha's World:

Seo stepped back. Staring at the device she'd finally managed to finish building.

 _Finally_.

"Here's hoping it works," she muttered to herself.

The problem was… she'd never been very good at psychic manipulation. Hadn't even been all that interested in it, growing up. Which meant that she wasn't a hundred percent sure the machine would work at all.

"Next time," Seo instructed the Vote Saxon poster plastered onto the wall of the abandoned warehouse where she was hiding, "destroy the world using an inter-dimensional or trans-temporal portal. I'm good at those."

There was something else bothering Seo about all this.

Seo could work out what kind of alien built any piece of technology by understanding how the technology worked, and extrapolating backwards. Figuring out the mental processes of the alien who created it.

But when Seo had hacked into Archangel, it… just… didn't feel alien.

The processes built into it, the programming underlying it, the entire logic of the system had seemed… normal. Intuitive. Familiar.

Was Saxon human?

(Or was Mom right? Was he one of Glory's triumvirate? Was that what she was picking up on?)

Seo turned. She could puzzle that out later. Most important thing, right now, was stopping him. Her machine was hidden, in here, finished and built and ready to be used at exactly the right moment, when everyone on the Valiant was thinking about Saxon.

In the meantime, Seo had the rest of the evening free.

And a whole hidden bomb shelter just ready and waiting to fill with people.

* * *

The American President stepped out onto the tarmac, staring Saxon down with an imposing glare.

"Mr. Saxon," said President Winters, "I'm not sure what your game is, but there are provisions for First Contact policy, decided by the Security Council in 1968. And you've just gone and ignored them."

"Well, you know what it's like," Saxon rambled. "New job, all that paperwork." He mused the matter over. "I think it's down the back of the settee. I did have a quick look. I found a pen, a sweet, a bus ticket and…" He put an arm around Lucy, grinned. "Have you met the wife?"

President Winters bristled, but managed to keep his stern countenance in check.

Behind him, three figures, each wearing perception filters that hid them from view, drifted onto the tarmac. The Doctor, Jack, and Martha. Watching, silently, nearby.

"The aircraft carrier Valiant is en route," Winters informed Saxon. "The rendezvous will take place there at 8 A.M. But I'm taking over."

"So… America is completely in charge?" Saxon checked.

"Since Britain elected an ass, yes," said Winters. He turned to leave. "I'll see you onboard the Valiant."

"It still will be televised, though?" Saxon called after him.

Winters turned.

"Because, I promised," said Saxon, a sheepish grin on his face. "And… the whole world is watching."

"Since it's too late to back out, the whole world will be watching," said President Winters. " _Me_."

* * *

"Seo?" asked Alison. She stared at her friend, who'd somehow managed to break into her house, while she was babysitting her brother. "I thought you were grounded for trying to end the world."

Seo said nothing.

Just raised up the tranquilizer gun, and shot Alison, point blank.

Alison's eyes went wide. "What…?" Then fell, unconscious, onto the floor of her bedroom.

"Alison?" came a small voice, nearby.

Seo turned. There was little David, hair ruffled, in his pajamas, standing in the doorway. Staring at Alison and Seo, shocked, not really sure what he was seeing.

"Brave little David," said Seo, bending down to David. Putting a hand on his shoulder. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"I heard a noise," said David. His eyes rested back on Alison, past Seo's form. "What happened to Alison?"

Seo looked deep into David's eyes. This brilliant, wonderful little kid, who had so much energy and spirit inside of him. Alison's little brother.

She couldn't let him die.

"I'm saving her life," said Seo. "And I want you to help me. Can you be a superhero for me, David?"

David's face lit up. "A superhero!"

"Then come on," said Seo, as she bent down, and picked Alison up off the ground. "I need you to guard the others. Make sure they don't get out of the shelter. No matter what. You understand?"

David nodded, following Seo out of the house.

"Brilliant little David," said Seo.

She crept out of the house, slipped out the back door, and into the night. Ushered him down the street, passing a display of turned-on TVs, to their right.

Seo didn't have time to pause. But her eyes rested on the TV screens just long enough to see the photo of the 'suspected terrorist' that police were searching for, across the UK.

A face she recognized.

It was her father.

* * *

"Aircraft carrier Valiant," Jack said, tapping on his wrist-band, and reading the information he called up. "It's a UNIT ship at 58.2 north, 10.02 east."

Martha glanced over at him. "How do we get onboard?"

"Does that thing work as a teleport?" the Doctor asked, nodding at the vortex manipulator.

"Since you revamped it, yeah," said Jack. He pressed a few more buttons. "Coordinates set."

The Doctor, Martha, and Jack all grabbed hold of the wristband, and, in a blaze of white light, the three vanished into the night air.

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Seo's World:

Dracula was waiting for her.

His eyes just as dark, his voice just as sexy, his hair just as handsome. His entire body still radiating that powerful, urgent desire for her.

The moment Xander left to guard the front door, Dracula moved closer to Buffy. "I knew you'd come."

Buffy, however, wasn't looking at Dracula, anymore. Her eyes had fallen to the ground, by the front door. Fixed on an object in the shadows.

She walked over, picked it up. A long, thin metal tube. A sonic screwdriver. She studied it with distracted, unfocused eyes.

"Yes," Dracula said, advancing towards her. "He was here, last night." He took her by the shoulders, her back against his chest, as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "But you did not come here for _him_."

Buffy didn't answer. Her eyes still fixed on that sonic in her hands… as if… trying to dredge up something inside of her. Something… she'd lost…

Her eyes turned from it, as she dropped her hand down. Looked back, over her shoulder. At Dracula. "No," she agreed. She turned to face him, falling into his arms. "He doesn't matter, anymore."

Dracula drank her in. "You cannot resist. The darkness. Your true nature. You will always turn away from the light."

Buffy reached up, dragging his face down to hers, and gave Dracula a long, passionate kiss. Her eyes fixed on him, breathless, as she pulled away.

"Can he see?" she asked. "Can you let him watch, as you take me?"

Dracula waved his hand. "It is done."

Buffy's eyes snapped into focus. "So he _is_ still alive."

In two seconds, she had Dracula cornered against a wall, stake against his chest, sonic in her other hand. Her eyes glaring into his.

"Okay, bud," said Buffy. "Where is he?"

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Martha's World:

Sarah Jane stared at the person on her front doorstep. "You!"

"You have to come with me," Seo said, her face deadly serious. She held the tranquilizer gun in her hands.

"I can't," Sarah Jane said. "It's… the Doctor. He's out there, somewhere. In danger. I have to go find him!"

Seo held up the tranquilizer gun, aiming it at Sarah Jane. "Come with me," she demanded. "Now."

Sarah Jane put up her hands, slowly. But gave Seo a long, disapproving glare. "I would have expected _you_ , of all people, to know that guns aren't the answer," she scolded.

Seo squeezed her eyes shut. Then, with a sigh, lowered the gun. "It's a tranquilizer gun. I just…" She shook her head. "You helped me. If he's going after Buffy and my father, he'll be going after you, too."

Sarah Jane frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"The world's about to end, and I've got a bomb shelter," said Seo. "There's room for you and Luke. Just come."

Sarah Jane thought for a long moment. "Take Luke," she decided. "If the world's ending, I've got the tools and resources to save it. I can fix this."

Seo didn't argue. Knew she'd never be able to sway Sarah Jane's determination. Just like she knew that nothing Sarah Jane could do would stop this. UNIT knew all about her. Therefore, Saxon knew about her. Anything Sarah Jane had would be compromised.

Seo shot Luke with the tranquilizer gun, the moment she saw him. His mouth dropped open, in shock, as he collapsed unconscious, to the floor. Seo picked him up, and draped him over a shoulder.

"Please come," Seo begged Sarah Jane, as she left the house. If she could carry more than one of them at a time, she'd have shot them both.

"Just save my son," Sarah Jane said. She grabbed up her car keys. "I have to go find the Doctor."

* * *

Seo secured Luke in the bomb shelter.

Then went out to find the Doctor and Martha. To see what they knew. Tell them what she knew. Show them her device, explain her plan.

They'd know if her device would work.

In fact, her father had probably already long since worked out who Harold Saxon was, what the Toclafane were, and how Saxon was planning to take over the world. Her father would probably know exactly what to do, and then work with her to figure out how to stop the world from ending.

Seo searched for hours.

But didn't find any trace of her father or Martha.

When the first tendrils of dawn peaked over the horizon, Seo gave up. Stole a TV, and carried it back to her device, hooking it up so she could watch what was happening on the Valiant.

Nearly 8 AM. Nearly time for First Contact.

Seo bit her lower lip.

And turned on the TV.


	8. Chapter 8

Seo's World:

Xander only had to wait outside a short while, before he came face to face with Anya, Willow, Tara, and Giles. He stood in front of the locked front door, and squared off against them, his guard up, ready to take them on in a fight.

"Nobody harms my master," Xander warned them.

"Xander, where's Buffy?" Willow asked. "Did you take her—?"

"She is getting the gift of eternal life," said Xander. "Like all who are lucky enough to serve the Prince of Darkness."

"Xander, let us through," Giles sighed. "You know this isn't right."

"Make me, four-eyes," Xander retorted.

* * *

Dracula seemed amused. "You will not stake me."

Buffy thrust her stake a little closer to Dracula's heart. "Location. Now."

Dracula's confidence faltered, a little. As he looked into Buffy's eyes and saw… not a hint of his own influence, inside of them. "That… that's impossible…"

"Oh, because of the whole 'thrall' bite thing, last night?" said Buffy. "Yeah. You probably should have checked and made sure I wasn't friends with a psychic, sentient, dimensionally transcendental space ship, first, huh? Because I spent a few hours in there, this afternoon. And now? Back to plain old Buffy."

Dracula's image began to fade, as he realized his situation. Buffy switched on the sonic, and he solidified, all at once.

"I figured," said Buffy, "that the last setting the Doctor used would be something useful." Her eyes narrowed. "Come on. Where is he?"

Dracula looked deep into her eyes. "You will not kill me."

"You're still not getting this whole Slayer-Vampire thing, are you?" said Buffy. She thrust him a little harder against the side of the wall. "Let's try this again. The Doctor is… where?"

Dracula didn't shift his eyes from hers. Those eyes, still pulling at her. Enticing her. Drawing her in, despite herself…

"You have told him so very little, haven't you?" Dracula said. "Protecting him from the darkness." His voice lowered, just a hair. "But you _are_ the darkness. It is in your soul. You are the harbinger of Death. The one who loves and nurtures the end of light. You bring the end to us, and she will bring…"

"Yeah, thanks, Mr. Melodrama," snapped Buffy. "Look, are you going to tell me where he is, or should I just put a stake through you, right now?"

"You would not," said Dracula. "You know he is dying even as we speak. And you are afraid… if I don't tell… you won't find him in time."

"So talk," said Buffy.

A gleam appeared in Dracula's eyes. "He is watching," he warned Buffy. "Listening. Your face the last thing he sees, your voice the last he hears, as he dies." He leaned in. "Why not tell him? Before he dies? Tell him the truth you've kept from him? About his home?"

Buffy tensed at the words.

"Tell him," said Dracula, "that he—"

In a sudden burst of rage, Buffy struck the stake through Dracula's heart, and Dracula turned to dust. Sonic still buzzing in her hand, so that the dust could dissipate, without reforming.

"Never," said Buffy.

* * *

Xander, outside, suddenly snapped out of his trance. Then seemed to notice what had just happened to him, and what he'd been doing.

"Damn it!" he shouted. "You know what? I'm sick of this crap. I'm sick of being the guy who gets hypnotized and fed to aliens and gets the funny syphilis! As of this moment, it's over. I'm finished being everybody's butt monkey!"

"Xander," said Willow, noticing the change. "Buffy!"

"Here," said Buffy, opening the door. "Dracula's dead. Doctor's missing. Need help." She spun around, and marched back into the castle.

All the Scoobies looked at each other, then followed after her.

"But… but you were all… enthralled!" said Willow. "And we thought…"

Buffy spun on them. "Talk later," she said. "Find Doctor first. Dracula said he's dying as we speak."

So they searched. All through the castle. Looking everywhere, in every room. They found some skimpily clothed vampire girls, whom Buffy staked, but no Doctor.

Except…

"I found his coat!" said Willow, rushing out to show the others. "In this… dungeon place. And Tara's gathering all the stuff from his pockets. That was there, too."

"You know, he's probably already dead," Anya offered. "We could just go. Forget about finding some Time Lord who may or may not be able to regain his memories about wiping vengeance demons out of history."

Buffy ignored her, turning on Xander. "You were being hypnotized by Dracula. What did he say he was going to do to the Doctor?"

Xander thought back. "Uh… let's see… he said… that… he was going to kill the Doctor. Basically. And… yep. That was it." He frowned. "Okay, see? That's what I mean. I'm a butt monkey. And I'm not even a _helpful_ butt monkey!"

"You know, Dracula's tried to kill him tons of times, before," said Anya. "The guy knew what he was doing. The Doctor's dead. Can we just leave, already?"

Buffy stopped. Then spun around to face Anya. "Dracula's tried to kill the Doctor before."

Xander snapped his fingers. "Yes!" he said. "He told me that! He said that he was going to kill the Doctor, because the Doctor remembered none of their past fights!"

Buffy's mind raced.

"So… it's something Dracula's done before," Buffy said. "Something the Doctor managed to foil. Except Dracula remembered how the Doctor foiled it, and planted some… booby trap, or something." Her eyes fixed on Anya. "What did Dracula do to the Doctor, in the past?"

"I… I don't know!" said Anya, suddenly flustered. "I wasn't there or anything. I just heard the stories. I don't even really remember…"

"Anya," Buffy warned.

Anya thought back. Trying to focus herself. "Okay, okay!" she said. "There was… this one time, when Dracula tried to poison him, and the Doctor found a way to expel—"

"If he'd been poisoned, we would have found him, by now," said Buffy. "Next."

"Well… there was this other time," said Anya, "when Dracula manacled him to a boulder and dropped him into the bottom of the sea, so he couldn't—"

"No large bodies of water around," Tara chimed in.

"Next!" said Willow.

Anya fidgeted, thinking intently. Then, "Oh! I know. There was this one time, when Dracula buried the Doctor alive. And gave him an extra oxygen canister, so he'd die slowly enough that by the time he regenerated, Dracula would be long gone."

Buffy and the others all looked at one another. Remembering that… while there hadn't been a large body of water, around, there _had been…_

"A cemetery," Buffy said.

She spun on her heels, throwing open the door, and racing outside. Sure enough, with just a glance at the nearby landscape, Buffy found a number of discarded spades, nearby. Could see freshly turned earth, just ahead.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Buffy shouted, as she grabbed up a spade and began to dig, furiously. Then, glancing up at Anya, not missing a beat in her digging, "What did the Doctor do to get out of it?"

"He turned the oxygen canister into a rocket," said Anya, as the others began to pick up spades and help Buffy out. "Then used it to launch the coffin out of the ground."

Xander shoved a spade into Anya's hands, and she joined the others.

"Which means this time, I'm guessing Dracula put something else in that canister," said Willow, digging. "Like… something that the Doctor wouldn't want to breathe in."

"Poison?" Tara said, tossing aside some dirt.

"No, it wouldn't be," said Willow. "Like Anya said. Dracula wouldn't risk the Doctor dying too quickly. The moment the Doctor regenerates, it's bye-bye Dracky."

Buffy's hearts stopped, a second. "Unless it was something to stop him regenerating."

Giles looked up. "Such a thing exists?"

"Yes, and if Dracula's known the Doctor forever, he probably knows about it!" said Buffy. She began digging even faster. "But the Doctor doesn't! He doesn't remember! And I never even thought to tell him!"

Willow hesitated. "Buffy, if he's been down there for 24 hours, with no extra air and no chance of regenerating…"

But Buffy wasn't listening. Her spade had finally hit something, and she began trying to dig out the corners, trying to get to the coffin. The coffin that had been nailed shut.

The others all pitched in, and before long, Buffy was tearing open the lid, to reveal…

"No," said Buffy.

He was still. Not breathing. Not moving. His eyes closed, his face pale.

"He's dead," said Tara.

No. No, Buffy couldn't accept that. She dragged him out of there. "No, he's… in a trance, or something," she said. "Something he dropped into, so he wouldn't have to breathe. He can't just be…"

Willow looked down at the top of the coffin. Then at the exploded gas canister, that smelled vaguely of something she couldn't identify. Something that definitely wasn't oxygen.

"He tried to get out, Buffy," Willow said, quietly. Her hand traced the frantic scratches made to the lid of the coffin. "He knew this was the end for him. He was panicked. He just… didn't have the strength to get free."

Buffy couldn't accept it. Couldn't! She leaned over, began drumming her fists against his chest, trying to get his hearts going, again.

"CPR!" Xander said.

It took Buffy a few seconds to register what Xander had said. She looked up, terrified. "I don't remember how…"

"Chest compressions, then pinch the nose and breathe into the mouth," Xander said.

Buffy did it. Pumped down on both hearts, then breathed into his mouth. Nothing. She tried again. And again.

"So… that's done," said Anya, when the third time didn't work. She clapped the dust from her hands. "Doctor's dead. Very sad. Who wants pizza?"

A gasp from the Doctor, as Buffy CPRed him a fourth time. Everyone turned to stare at him. Shocked that he'd actually made it.

He rolled over, coughing, trying to get to his feet. Buffy helped him up, supported him, as he staggered upright, stumbling a little, trying to catch his breath.

"Are you okay?" asked Willow.

The Doctor hit his chest, testing out both hearts. Then looked up at them. Beamed, with only a slightly shaken expression.

"Someone mention pizza?" he asked.


	9. Chapter 9

Martha's World:

Martha, Jack, and the Doctor appeared in the engine room of the Valiant, holding their heads, wincing in pain. The early morning light shone in through the windows.

"Oh, that thing is rough!" Martha complained.

"I've had worse nights," Jack replied. Then he grinned, looking around. "Welcome to the Valiant."

Martha peered out the window. Noticing the light. "It's dawn?"

They'd traveled through time. Inadvertently. But two seconds ago, they'd been watching the Master speak to the American President on the tarmac, and it had been early evening. Now… it was dawn. The next day.

Dawn.

Nearly time for the broadcast to begin.

* * *

"Five in the morning," said Xander, looking at the dawn breaking overhead. The sky illuminating in a swirl of bright colors, in arctic sunrise. He tried to stop himself from shivering in the near-freezing temperatures. "Official First Contact, and we're stuck in Greenland."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Don't you mean 'end of the world, and we're stuck in Greenland'?"

Her teeth were chattering.

They were all attired in summer weather outfits, and now they were stuck in Greenland, where it was near freezing.

"How's Ria?" asked Xander, inviting Dawn closer, so they could share body heat.

Dawn cuddled up beside him. "Sleeping. I gave her my sweater."

"Lucky me," said Xander, wrapping arms around Dawn.

Dawn shot Xander a challenging look. "I've got a boyfriend," she reminded him. "This isn't 'cuddling'. It's survival."

Xander's eyes strayed back to the sky. His face falling into worry. As his mind contemplated the survival of all of them. The whole world.

"Faith and the others?" Dawn asked him.

"Should be back, soon," said Xander. "They can get an off-road vehicle in Qaqortoq, all medical supplied up, to drive back here and help out." He paused. Then, in a slightly louder, more pointed voice, "Oh, and by the way. Whose idea was it to bring Andrew on this trip?"

Dawn glanced at the babbling Andrew, in the distance, annoying the hell out of a group of sullen, huddled-together Slayers.

"He heard the words 'Official First Contact' and decided he couldn't resist," said Dawn. "Ria felt it was easier to just take him along and shove him in a closet when we got to England, instead of arguing with him."

Xander sighed. "Remember when you were telling me about alien negotiation disasters?"

"Yeah, well, having Andrew meet aliens isn't anywhere near as bad as having Mr. Evil-Time-Lord-Who-Destroyed-Elizabeth meet aliens," Dawn pointed out.

They both stared into the distance. As if trying to see past the many miles, to where First Contact was taking place.

"I hope Buffy's all right," Dawn said, in a quiet voice.

"Yeah," said Xander. Cuddling a little closer into Dawn. "Me, too."

* * *

The problem was the President. Who'd decided to take charge of the First Contact, instead of Saxon.

"Get out of the way, President Hog-The-Limelight!" Seo shouted at the TV screen. "I'm trying to get people to think of Harold Saxon, here!"

Her device was all charged up and ready to go. Everything was set. She just needed that one moment, when everyone was watching Saxon. When everyone was thinking Saxon. When everyone was being drawn in by that psychic signal.

But the damn president just wouldn't shut up!

"And I ask you now," President Winters said, after what felt like hours of blathering, as he stepped aside, "I ask of the human race, to join me in welcoming our friends." He made a gesture with his arm. "I give you… the Toclafane."

A reaction shot from the camera, showing everyone else on the flight deck of the Valiant, clapping. All the diplomats, Saxon and his wife, and… the Doctor and Martha, looked like, back there, each with a perception filter, probably with a plan of their own, and…

Seo froze.

"Jack," she breathed.

Her hands shook, her eyes staring at that TV screen, hardly believing it. He'd come back. Come back and… hadn't even tried to see her.

Seo looked down at her device.

What if… this device just wasn't good enough? She'd made Jack so angry he'd run away from her, before. What if she just messed things up, again, and made Jack even more angry at her? What if, next time, he never came back?

Her father obviously had a plan. Jack still believed in _him_.

Maybe Seo should just… stop this. Stop her whole plan. Let her father deal with it. After all, Jack knew that the Doctor was the clever one who solved everything. While Seo had almost accidentally ended the world more times than she'd let on.

Maybe that was all Jack had ever really thought of her.

The door to the warehouse slammed open. "Energy source is in here!" shouted a voice.

Seo shot to her feet, spinning around to find a group of soldiers led by a black-haired woman wearing a Kevlar vest, who sported a determined expression on her face.

"Destroy it!" the woman shouted, firing at Seo. "Kill her!"

The soldiers opened fire.

Seo leapt out of a nearby window, crashing onto the pavement, rolling to her feet, and sprinting down the road. She could hear the sounds of her device blowing to smithereens, as the soldiers hit it in exactly the wrong spot.

Too late for her plan.

Hopefully, her father's would work better.

Seo sprinted for her life. Sprinted, as she heard the stampede of footsteps chasing her. Sprinted, as she tried to get away from the pursuing soldiers. And that insane government-working assassin lady.

And just as she'd lost them, just as Seo was sure that she was safe, rushing around the trees of a park — just as Seo could stop a moment, catch her breath…

The sounds of screams, surrounding her. As everyone nearby looked up into the sky, pointing, their mouths open, their eyes frightened.

Seo glanced up.

The sky had cracked open, split apart with a crackling red energy, ripping through the clouds with a searing blaze of power. A blaze that tore through every one of Seo's senses, made her almost double up with the shock of it.

"No," Seo breathed.

The sky falling apart… the world shaking around her… the screaming and the trampling… just like in her memories… just like in her worst childhood nightmares…

"No!" Seo reprimanded herself, as millions — billions — of metallic spheres swarmed down across the globe. She gritted her teeth. "It _isn't_ going to be like what happened, when I was a baby." She looked up at the sky — the spacio-temporal portal — her eyes blazing. "Because this time, I'm going to stop it!"

Seo closed her eyes. Focused her mental energies. Every single instinct of Keyness inside of her. Every ounce of control she had over her abilities.

In one sharp stream of energy, she shot her power towards the breach, to close it.

Then collapsed, screaming.

As her mental energies smacked straight into an evil, nasty machine that had twists and tears of timelines swirling about, deep within its depths.

* * *

Willow had only just arrived in London. At Buffy's apartment. She leapt up the stairs, two at a time. "Buffy!" she shouted, banging on the door. "Buffy, Saxon's the Master! The Time Lord Master! The one who destroyed Elizabeth! You've got to get out of here! It's…!"

Then a feeling across Willow's mind, searing through everything magical inside of her.

Doubling her up.

Outside, people began to scream.

Willow staggered down the stairs, hand against her head, rushing out the front door of the apartment complex. Staring up at the sky… which had just ripped open, with a crackle of red energy.

Magical red energy.

Stolen magical red energy.

"Oh, no," Willow said. No wonder she'd picked it up. No wonder she'd felt it so strongly. Someone was tearing apart the universe. The very same someone who'd drained all her magical energy.

The world was ending, and the Master was using _Willow's_ magic to do it!

One of the spheres swooped down through the sky, an array of knives and weaponry spiraling out from its sides, and began slicing through the nearby population.

More screams, as the other spheres joined the first one, millions and billions of tiny spheres, all laughing and giggling as they butchered and sliced people apart. Blood spilling across the pavement, bodies dropping everywhere.

Willow tried to summon up every ounce of magic she had left. Her magic brought the Toclafane to Earth. Her magic could send them back where they belonged. She knew…!

But her magic was gone.

The Master had already taken it from her. Drained her of everything and anything she could use. Any way she could fight back.

Willow's eyes went wide, as she realized… the world was ending, and there was nothing she could do.

And as one of the spheres dropped down to her, analyzing her, Willow spun on her heels. And ran. Ran fast as she could, racing across the sidewalk, through the gate to the apartment's back garden, and…

There! Metal door! Bomb shelter!

With a lot of strain, Willow summoned just enough magical energy to force the door open, then threw herself inside the bomb shelter, and slammed the metal door shut and locked behind her.

She stood there. Panting. Trying to catch her breath. Her back pressed against the door.

"Willow?!" someone shouted.

Willow froze. Recognizing the voice. And stared, her jaw dropping open.

For there, chained to the far end of the bomb shelter… was Buffy.

* * *

It tore through Seo's psyche. That ripping feeling of timelines torn to shreds flowing through her mind. And this machine, whatever it was… knew her. Recognized her. Had seen her psyche and snatched it up in desperation and fear.

The machine was screaming. Shouting. Filled with hurt and pain and grief. And it had Seo, now, and wouldn't let her go. Was too afraid to let her go.

Seo's throat was raw from screaming, as she curled in on herself. Her psyche yanking and pulling, clawing at the machine, trying to tear herself free. Trying, with every desperate struggle, to keep herself alive.

And with a final wrench, she separated herself from it.

Came free from the burning, tearing influence.

Everything sapped from her.

And as she finally re-engaged with the real world, as she looked out at the people who were dying, the people she'd failed to save, the people who were screaming all around her — and it was her fault, just like it had been her fault when she was a baby, because it was always her fault, somehow or other, Seo the screw-up, tearing down the universe one seriously destructive mistake at a time — she saw a familiar face.

A familiar person, rushing towards her.

Seo gave a tired, sad, worried smile. Her hand reaching out, one word falling from her lips. "Martha."

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Seo's World:

The Doctor was thankful Buffy had saved him from Dracula. Thankful she'd brought him back, when he'd nearly died.

And he hadn't been lying, last year, when he told her he'd forgive her no matter what. He'd always forgive her, because she was Buffy, and she was brilliant.

He just… needed to know. Needed to understand. Exactly what had happened. Why. How. And what she'd been thinking, when she'd done it.

He needed to know why he was really alone.

Buffy was here, fussing over him, trying to give him food and blankets and all sorts of things… but not looking him in the eye. Not once.

Feeling guilty about something, then. Was it… that she hadn't told him the truth?

"Elizabeth," the Doctor said, quietly.

Buffy stopped. Still not meeting his eyes. She stumbled back, a little. "What?"

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "You tell me."

Buffy turned away from him, her back to him, her entire body facing the window, her eyes fixed, determinedly, on the view outside. "It was… nothing," she said. She hugged her arms. Then, in a quieter tone of voice, "I kissed Dracula. So I could… trick him and try to find you."

Ah. Right. Not actually the confession he'd been expecting. Or one that interested him all that much, really.

"Well, that's only fair," the Doctor said, "since I snogged Faith. But… about…." He hesitated. Then decided to just go ahead and ask. "You've never told me. The specifics. About why I'm alone. How it happened."

For a few seconds, there was silence between them.

"But… you're _not_ alone," said Buffy, in a small voice.

She turned away from the window, facing him, again, her hand resting on a swollen belly that was nine months pregnant. A smile on her face. The hints of tears in her eyes.

She rubbed her belly, where the baby lay. "Not anymore."

The Doctor felt his jaw drop to the floor. "What?" he cried. He blinked, just to make sure he hadn't mis-seen. Nope. "What?" Looked up at Buffy's eyes, sincere and honest and open.

"WHAT?!"


	10. Part II: The Key

Seo's World:

"But that's not… I mean, you can't…" the Doctor stumbled to his feet, mind racing, as he tried to work out what had just happened. "You got pregnant!"

Buffy looked at him like he'd just stated the obvious. "Uh… yeah."

"But… but… but you're _not_ pregnant!" the Doctor insisted.

Buffy gave a weary, annoyed sigh, dropping into a nearby chair. "Not this, again," she muttered. "I've been pregnant for the last nine months. And still. I'm 'not pregnant'."

"No, I mean, yes, you are now, but… ten seconds ago, you weren't," the Doctor said. "Ten seconds ago, you were standing there, looking out that window. Not remotely pregnant. Then you turned round. And now… you are!"

"I got pregnant… from a window," Buffy said. Giving a half-hearted shrug. "Whatever you say, this time, Doctor."

The Doctor reached into his pocket, and brought out his sonic screwdriver, scanning Buffy with it.

Buffy swatted it out of his hand, so it clattered to the floor.

"Just stop it, already!" she said, irritated. "You've spent the last nine months trying to get out of this. Now that it's going to happen any day, couldn't you just accept it?"

The Doctor retrieved the sonic, but Buffy's swat had scrambled the readings. "Alien," he decided. "Has to be alien. Some alien fetus, using your womb…"

Buffy crossed her arms. "Yeah. I kind of guessed it was alien. You know, based on the father."

"The father?" the Doctor asked, curious. "Who? What did he look like? Where did he come from? He wasn't a shape-shifting, human-eating alien with rather pointy teeth that bit you, a short time back?" He made a face. "Because that could get nasty."

"He's about six foot one," said Buffy. "Skinny. Spiky brown hair. From some place called Gallifrey. Has a serious licking obsession and a creepily close connection to his time machine."

"Six foot one," the Doctor mused, running a hand through his hair, "with spiky brown…" He stopped. Turned back to Buffy. "Wait a tic. That's me!"

Buffy applauded his brilliance.

"But… but…" He pointed at her belly. "That's not my child!"

The applause stopped. Buffy's eyes narrowed. "What?!"

"Whatever or whoever gave you that," the Doctor said, "it wasn't me. I can't just…"

"You're accusing me of _sleeping around_?!" Buffy shouted. She clutched the arms of her chair, her knuckles going white. "After nine months of giving me hell about this baby, you'd actually say that I slept with someone else?!"

"What?" said the Doctor. "No, I—"

"After what you did with Faith!" Buffy snapped. "And… and… then there was that blue alien, last month! And the Tripto-whatever alien, before that. Remember? You being all with the smoochies, while I was here, going all inflated beach ball?"

"I didn't—!"

"And suddenly, it's _me_ that's the unfaithful one?" Buffy shouted. "All this coming from Mr. We're Not In A Relationship?" She gestured at her belly. "What is this? Friends? Companions?"

"But you're not pregnant!" the Doctor insisted. "You can't be…" Then he stopped. Realized. "Memory."

"I _love_ you," Buffy continued. "Don't you get that? I _really_ love you. This isn't supposed to be about weaseling out of things. This is supposed to be about… love, and family, and… good stuff, like that!"

"You remember," the Doctor said. "You remember being pregnant. For nine months."

Buffy looked at him like he was insane. "Yes. Because I _have_ been pregnant for nine months."

"And… you say I've been telling you, for the last nine months, that you can't be pregnant," the Doctor continued. "Trying to get out of it. That sort of thing. Yes?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Understatement of the century."

"Except… that didn't happen," the Doctor insisted. "Don't you see? A minute ago, you weren't pregnant at all. Someone or something's altered your memory. Someone or something that's implanted that…" pointing at Buffy's belly, "into your womb."

Buffy didn't seem amused. "So… you, then?"

"No, not me!" the Doctor said. "Don't you understand? Someone's mucking about with your mind. They tried to alter my memory, too, but they couldn't get through. Well, Time Lord. All that. So they wrote your memories specifically to discredit me. Make sure that, when you turned up, pregnant, you'd expect me to say—"

"Doctor, I keep telling you," said Buffy, wearily. "The only alien that's put anything into my womb is _you_. You saw the ultrasound. You were there!" She patted her stomach. "Two hearts." She glanced back up at him. "So unless I'm hiding a spare supply of Time Lords in my basement — it's your baby."

"But… but…" the Doctor shook his head. "But it's impossible!"

"Yeah, you've been saying that for nine months, too," said Buffy. "It doesn't really change anything, does it?"

"It isn't mine!" the Doctor insisted. "It can't be! It… just…"

Buffy shot him the biggest death glare ever.

The Doctor stopped. Scratched the back of his neck, as he stumbled out of the room. "Right. Yes. In that case, I'll just… wander over… somewhere else… to sort this out, then," he said. Then spun around, and raced down the stairs.

Where he was intersected by Joyce. Standing in front of the door. With her arms crossed.

"Have you asked her, yet?" she demanded.

"Have I asked whom what?" the Doctor asked.

Joyce gave him a cold, hard stare. "Look, I understand you're an alien," she said. "But this is Earth. And if you're going to knock up my daughter, you'd better start proposing to her."

"What?!" the Doctor cried.

"There is no way I'm going to let that baby be born out of wedlock," Joyce said. "I'll tie you up and drag you to the church if I have to, but I'm not going to let you weasel your way out of this, again."

"But… but… she's only been pregnant for the last minute and a half!" the Doctor insisted.

Joyce's eyes turned a shade angrier. "Do you know how often," she said, advancing on the Doctor in typical scary-mum fashion, "I've sat up with her, listening to her cry her eyes out over this baby? Buffy is so nice to you, and you just treat her like… like… none of this even matters!"

The Doctor was beginning to feel supremely set up.

"Listen, I haven't done anything!" the Doctor insisted. "Someone's mucked about with all your memories. Everything you remember, over the last nine months, none of it ever really—"

"I'm done with your excuses," Joyce told him, pointing a finger at him. "If you're not walking out that door to buy a ring, you'd better never walk back into this house, again. Because, if you do, I can't be held responsible for my actions. Is that clear?"

The Doctor slipped past Joyce, with only a minor amount of Time Lord super-stealth, and bolted out the door.

No, no, no. This was… this couldn't…

Something was going on. Something having to do with that baby. And whatever or whoever that baby was, if the force responsible for putting it there had to muck about with memory this much to cover it up, the Doctor was guessing — it wasn't what everyone thought it was.

All he needed, now, was proof.

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Martha's World:

In Greenland, Phoebe gave a sharp cry.

Everyone snapped their heads over to her. Concerned.

"There's something there!" Phoebe said, pointing to the sky.

Faith and the others, who'd just arrived back with an off-road vehicle and a doctor, were bandaging up Ria's wounds, the doctor giving her as much medical advice as he could offer.

They all looked up, squinting into the rising sun.

"I don't—" said Vi.

That was when a Toclafane descended upon them. Giggling as if it were a little girl musing over a new plaything.

And, in a burst of laser fire, it shot the doctor to pieces.

The Slayers all sprung to their feet, eyes wide. Dawn had been right. These Toclafane were evil. And this was the beginning of the end of the world.

"Oh, my god!" said Andrew. "Oh, my god! Evil spheres! This is like, in the Matrix Reloaded, when—"

"Andrew, shut the hell up!" Amanda snapped.

The Slayers lunged for the sphere, trying to take it down, but it zipped through the air, a series of knives and spikes withdrawing from its body, and then turned and plowed down into the group.

"Scatter!" shouted Dawn.

The Slayers scattered, all racing across the terrain, zigzagging across the grass, trying to dive for cover amongst the rocks and boulders that littered the ground. Dawn, meantime, dragged Ria to the wreckage of the airplane, hiding them both behind its metallic husk, praying that at least some of the Slayers would make it out of this alive.

All their weapons had been destroyed in the crash.

"Dawn," whispered Ria. "If we're seeing one of these things in the middle of nowhere… they must be all over the world."

Dawn felt a powerful dread well up inside of her.

"We have to figure something out," Ria insisted. "Some way to take these things down."

Dawn glanced at their surroundings. The middle of nowhere. Greenland. Where they didn't even have roads to get between the scattered settlements nearby.

"Even if we do find out some way to defeat them," said Dawn, "how are we supposed to tell anyone?"

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Willow and Buffy asked each other, at the same time.

"No, wait, hold on," Willow corrected, as her eyes adjusted to the darkness a little better. And she could see a great big blood smear across Buffy's chest. "Are you okay?"

Buffy sighed. "It's red paint. I'm fine."

"Look, whoever you are, could you please unchain us?" asked a tall, teenage-looking girl, chained to the other side of the shelter. She yanked on her chains. "I've got to get out of here!"

Willow peered through the darkness. Her eyes adjusting to the lack of light in the bomb shelter. At the girl's feet, Willow thought she could see a little, six-year-old boy curled up, asleep, a grin on his face. He was hugging a little toy space ship to his chest.

"My mum's out there," said a teenage boy's voice, from nearby.

"And so are my parents!" the girl chimed in.

Willow tried to gather her thoughts. "Who chained you up, here?" she asked. A sudden fear ran through her. "Don't tell me it's—"

"The one person who knew that if she didn't chain us up, we'd all run out and risk our lives to try and stop this?" Buffy said. "Yeah. Yeah, it's my daughter. Now unchain us! We've been watching on that monitor, and people are getting massacred!"

Willow turned. Noticed that there was a little tiny video monitor embedded in the upper wall, just above the door. Showing the area outside.

The area buzzing with Toclafane.

Willow stepped away from Buffy and the others. Her hands raised.

"No," she said.

Buffy stared at her. "What?!"

"Seo's right," said Willow. "If I set you free, you'll run right out there and get yourself killed. There's nothing you can do, Buffy! So you're staying right here."

Buffy's jaw dropped open.

"My parents are out there!" the girl shouted. Struggling harder. "You can't just—"

"There's _nothing_ you can do!" Willow shouted back. She leveled dark eyes at Buffy. "Buffy, Harold Saxon is the Master. The other-timeline, destroyed-Elizabeth-completely Master. Time Lord, indestructible, mega-insane, super-smart. _That's_ who you're dealing with."

Buffy stared at Willow. All words falling away from her, in an instant.

"Yeah," said Willow.

"But… but that's… impossible," Buffy said. "That timeline's off limits! The Doctor said! There's no way—"

"Impossible, but true," said Willow. She glanced at everyone in the bomb shelter. "We've got to stay here. Keep ourselves alive, so we can strike back. With you, Seo…" Willow paused, her eyes on the teenage girl.

"Luke and Alison," said Alison.

"Luke and Alison all safe," Willow continued, "we can plan. Strategize. Take back the Earth."

Buffy wrestled with her chains. "No, Will, you don't understand!" she shouted. "We're _not_ all safe! Seo _isn't here_!"

Willow said nothing for a long moment.

"What?" she asked.

"Seo locked us up because she knew we'd run out and try to help her," said Alison. "And she didn't want us getting hurt. She's out there, right now, taking on the Toclafane single-handed. By herself."

"She doesn't know who she's up against!" Buffy continued. Her voice growing more and more panicked. "Willow, she thinks Saxon's just a hell god or something. You know, something _easy_ to take down."

Right. Yeah. Because… in Seo-land… immortal, invulnerable-to-all-harm hell gods were in the 'easy to take down' category, and Time Lords were in the 'impossible to take down' category.

Confusing.

"And even if she does find out Saxon's the Master, she won't know what it means!" said Buffy. " _I_ barely even understand what it means, and I'm pretty good at this stuff. I've got to find her, Will! I've got to—"

"No!" said Willow, crossing her arms.

"She's my daughter!" Buffy screamed.

"And I'm your best friend!" Willow snapped. "If the Master gets his hands on you for two seconds, Buffy, he'll turn you insane. Like he did to Elizabeth! And not even killing him would be enough to reverse that."

"I don't care," said Buffy. "You've got to let me—"

"Would you two be quiet?!" Luke demanded.

They all fell silent, their eyes on Luke.

"Listen, I don't understand who 'the Master' is," said Luke, calmly, "or why you're afraid of him, but this isn't helping. Willow's right. There's nothing we can do against the Toclafane. If Seo locked us up in here, it's for a reason. She wanted us to fight back."

"He's—" Buffy started.

Then there was a knock on the door of the bomb shelter. And a shout of a voice, from just outside.

A voice that Buffy recognized.

Her eyes lit up.

Alison squinted at the video monitor showing the empty outside of the bomb shelter. "That doesn't sound like Seo. So who…?"

"Martha Jones!" Buffy answered.


	11. Chapter 11

Seo's World:

Willow had gone over to Buffy's house, to comfort a very pregnant, very hysterical Buffy. Who was now in the middle of a major cry-a-thon.

"How could he even say something like that?" Buffy asked, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. "That I've been cheating on him! After he's been all non-committy and make-out-with-other-womenny, and I've been all forgiving! It's… just…" She felt another tear roll down her cheek.

"He's a jerk, Buffy," Willow soothed. "We've all said it. Baby or no, you should dump him."

"But… but…" She looked up at Willow. "But I love him."

"I don't understand why," said Willow.

"Well he's…" Buffy looked down at the tissue in her hands, twisting it around. "Sweet. And funny. And heroic. And—"

"All of that goes away when you two start talking baby," said Willow. "I'm surprised he hasn't run away and ditched you, yet."

Buffy shook her head. "It just… doesn't make sense."

What Willow didn't say was that all the Scoobies had taken bets on when the Doctor would just ditch Buffy and take off. Willow had bet it'd be right before Buffy went into labor. Giles had been certain it would be right when the Doctor saw the actual baby.

"I mean, he's the last surviving member of a dead race," said Buffy. She patted her stomach. "A race I'm restarting. He should be happy about this."

Xander had bet his money that the Doctor would run right after the ultrasound.

They'd all been pretty amazed he'd stuck around, after that.

"Well… have you ever considered that maybe he _isn't_ the last member of a dead race?" Willow asked. "Maybe he just says that to get girls to sleep with him, and then runs away and leaves them when they get pregnant?"

Anya had put her money on the Doctor ditching Buffy 'whenever he gets the TARDIS working again'. They'd all said that was kind of a cheat. But accepted it.

Buffy shot Willow an angry glare. "For someone you claim is lying just to get pity sex, he's mostly pretty uninterested in the actual 'having sex' part. I mean… he's the only guy I know that requires _me_ to bring up the subject, before he even gets interested!"

Willow shrugged. "I'm just saying… he's been denying you're pregnant for nine months, now," she said. "And… just look at you. It's kind of hard to deny, at this point."

Buffy looked down at her bloated belly. "It doesn't make sense," she muttered.

"He doesn't want to be a father," said Willow. "And he has commitment issues. Like I said. Jerk."

Tara had put money on, 'after Buffy starts showing.' After that didn't happen, she was now putting her money on, 'after the Doctor changes his first diaper.'

"He hasn't run away, yet," Buffy reminded Willow.

Yes. But that was only because the Doctor continued to stubbornly deny the baby's existence.

"I really do love him, you know," Buffy said, a faint smile on her lips. "He's a burst of light in the darkness." She rubbed at her belly, fondness in her eyes. "And so's she. I can feel her, sometimes, in my mind." The hint of tears in her eyes. "She's so beautiful, Will."

Willow took Buffy's hand. Giving her friend comfort.

"She's like… that first ray of sunlight that illuminates the dark sky," said Buffy. "The dawn that scares off all the monsters lurking at night."

Willow smiled at Buffy. "She sounds amazing, Buffy."

Buffy looked down at herself. "She will be," she said. "She really, really will."

* * *

It was a simple matter to break into the hospital.

Buffy had said — ultrasounds. She had a memory of the two of them going in for an ultrasound. But that was a memory based on an event that hadn't happened. The Doctor was certain. All he had to do was break into the hospital, look up the records for the ultrasound, and prove that they didn't exist.

He found the medical records office, easily enough. Flipped through the files. And… 'Summers, Buffy'. Yanked the file out, leafing through it.

He froze.

There, in front of him… was an ultrasound. Of a baby — one with two hearts. The beginning development of a respiratory bypass system. A complex-looking brain.

"No," the Doctor said.

He flipped to the next page. Which listed the unborn child's abnormalities. Abnormalities… which were perfectly in keeping with his own bizarre alien traits.

"But that's not… it can't be…" His mind raced. Had he been wrong? Had he not stopped the external influence on his memory? Could it be that everything he remembered about the past nine months… had all been a lie?

"I must be going mad," the Doctor said.

"I've heard a lot of soon-to-be parents say that," came the friendly voice of a nearby medical person. The man came into the room, and offered a hand. "Ben Wilkinson. Medical intern. And… I know, the ultrasound's a little frightening. But my buddies working in maternity said that it's nothing to worry about — somehow, she seems to be surviving just fine despite the differences."

The Doctor stared at him. Didn't take the hand. "You… know about this? You remember it?"

Ben gave a small laugh. "Well, you weren't exactly _quiet_ when you found out."

The Doctor ran a hand over his face. "It's me, then," he muttered. "It has to be me. Something affecting my…"

He stopped. His eyes fixed into the distance.

Then snapped his head around to Ben. "But… no! No, I'm not…" He grabbed up the ultrasound. "This isn't my child! It can't be…"

"Mr. Smith," said Ben, in a reassuring tone, gently taking the ultrasound out of the Doctor's hand, and leading him away from the medical files, "I know this is stressful. Just… sit down. Take some deep breaths. Try to relax."

He did try. Tried very hard. Tried thinking through every possibility.

It _had_ to be him, right? After all, he was the amnesiac. And there wasn't a power source in the world that could possibly have the kind of power and scope necessary to alter the psyches of every human on the planet, and transform matter like this. Perhaps this was some lapse in his memory, caused by…

Except it _wasn't_.

He stood up. And left the hospital.

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Martha's World:

Martha burst into the bomb shelter, carrying a limp, barely conscious Seo.

The door clanged shut behind her.

The moment they saw her, everyone began talking all at once. Everyone struggling, trying to figure out what happened, what was going on, what had happened to Seo, and why Martha was here when the Doctor was not.

Buffy actually managed to yank her chains out of the wall, and raced over to Seo, kneeling down by her, trying to make sure she was all right.

Seo looked up at Buffy. Raw, bitter pain in her eyes.

"I failed," she breathed. She looked away. "I'm sorry."

Buffy felt the pain even more bitterly. Because she knew that, ultimately, _she'd_ been the one to stop Seo on election day. Britain had elected Mr. Time Lord Evil Genius to be Prime Minister… and she, Buffy, had been the one to make it happen.

"Martha," Willow said. "Where's the Doctor? What are these Toclafane? What's going on?"

Martha stood up. Glancing at all of them, gathered in the bomb shelter. A look of determination, worry, and concern all written into her face.

"Harold Saxon is a Time Lord," she said. "The Master. He was hiding from the Time War, pretending to be human, and we accidentally woke up the Time Lord part of him. He stole the TARDIS, but the Doctor fused the coordinates. So the Master came back to Earth, and has spent the last 18 months setting a trap for the Doctor, for the world, and… for…" Martha faltered, her face breaking into a deep sadness. "My family."

Everyone went quiet.

"They're onboard the Valiant," Martha said. "The Master's prisoners. Along with the Doctor."

"And Jack," Seo whispered.

Buffy's breath stopped, as she heard these words. "Jack's…?"

"He came back," Seo said. Her eyes filled with happiness, sadness, a sense of failure, a sense of insecurity, a sense of longing, all at once. "Jack came back."

Martha frowned. "You know Jack?"

"I thought he was dead," Buffy admitted. "For good."

"And what about these Toclafane?" Alison asked. "What are they?"

"They're not 'Toclafane'," Martha informed her. "The Master just made that name up."

"They're coming through a rip in the universe," Willow put in. "But… the energy the Master used to tear apart that breach — I recognized it. That was _my_ energy! _My_ magic! He's been draining it from me for an entire year and gathering it up — so he could use my magical power to open a portal and release the Toclafane!"

Buffy took in a sharp breath. Giles. He must have told the Master all about Willow's magical powers. And the Master had taken advantage.

"No," Seo cut in, struggling to sit up, her breath coming back to her. "It's not just a spacio-temporal split in the universe. There's a… machine in the mix. A machine dealing with ripped up timelines and things." She rubbed her head. "I ran into it, when I tried to use my energies to close the portal. It nearly tore me apart."

"That's the TARDIS," sighed Martha. "The Master turned her into a Paradox Machine. But the Doctor says we can't disable it until we know what paradox it's holding in check."

"So all we need to do," Luke put in, "is discover what the Toclafane really are, what the paradox really is, and how to stop the Master."

"The Doctor's got a plan," said Martha.

Buffy grinned. That sounded like the Doctor she knew. "Something we can help with?"

Martha outlined, in very brief detail, the Doctor's plan. That she would wander around the world, telling stories about the Doctor. And that everyone would think the Doctor's name, using the countdown.

"But that's… just… brilliant!" Seo said.

"It is?" asked Buffy. She, personally, had no idea how this was supposed to do anything. But when Seo started to explain, she waved her hand. "No, really, don't. If that's what'll defeat the Master, I'll take the Doctor's word for it."

"So that's what we're going to do?" asked Luke. "Help Martha with this plan?"

Buffy shook her head. "Bad idea," she said. "Every single person in this bomb shelter has saved the world before. More than once. The Master knows that. That means every single one of us is going on the Master's most wanted list. If we're with Martha, she'll get caught. Right away."

Everyone absorbed this. Then nodded.

"So… what do _we_ do?" asked Alison. "Sit around here, twiddling our thumbs?"

Buffy smiled. "The Doctor and Martha have a plan to stop _the Master_." She turned to Alison. "That means _our_ job is to stop the Toclafane."

"How?" asked Willow. "There are billions of them, all over the world, and the Master's been systematically wiping out all our defenses against them for the past year and a half. We have nothing, Buffy. Nothing!"

A small smile spread up Seo's face. "Except… the two people the Master doesn't know about," she whispered.

Everyone turned their eyes on Seo.

"Me," said Seo. "And Dawn."

Buffy realized. The two people who, together, could open up a stable trans-temporal, trans-universal, trans-dimensional portal with enough power to get around the Paradox Machine and suck the Toclafane out of reality forever. The two people who, together, could wield even more magical power than Willow.

The Master had the Toclafane, the world, the Doctor, and the TARDIS.

But the human race had the Key.

And, thanks to Seo, the Master had no idea that it even existed in the first place.


	12. Chapter 12

Seo's world:

Giles was asleep, in his home, in Sunnydale. Or had been.

Until he awoke to the sound of someone running around downstairs, the sounds of books hitting floor and pages being crinkled.

Giles burst out of bed, and tied his bathrobe as he hurried downstairs. Grabbing up a dagger, as he went. His books were in danger, and that wasn't a matter to take lightly! No, he was going to find and apprehend this book thief who…

Giles stopped.

Then sighed. Dropped the dagger onto his desk.

"If you insist on breaking into my house in the middle of the night," said Giles, "you could at least show my books some respect."

The Doctor didn't look up from the book he was thumbing through. "Oi, breaking in?" he said. "Door wasn't even locked. And as for it being the middle of the night… it's only ten o'clock." He shook his head at the book, then tossed it over his shoulder, as it crashed to the ground. Into the heap of other books, already there.

Giles rushed over, picking up the book and trying to smooth the crumpled pages. Attempting to reorder his library. "Couldn't you do this sort of research in your own library?" he asked, putting books back on shelves.

"Misplaced the TARDIS library," the Doctor said, picking out another book. "Few weeks back."

Giles decided it wasn't worth asking how the Doctor could have lost… not a book… but an entire library.

"And I had to work this out," the Doctor continued, leafing through the pages. "Soon as possible. What with Elizabeth's condition."

Giles sighed. Not this, again.

"You're still trying to prove that Buffy isn't actually pregnant," he guessed. "Despite all evidence to the contrary."

"No, no, she's certainly pregnant, now," the Doctor said. "Question is, who's baby _is_ that, what kind of creature is it, and why are they altering the memory of everyone nearby to cover it up?"

Giles was shocked. "I'm sorry… but… are you actually accusing Buffy of infidelity?"

"No, no," the Doctor said, throwing another book over his shoulder. "Someone implanted something inside of her. Someone with his own agenda." He reached for another book, thumbing through the pages. "Probably alien."

"Yes, I should think so," said Giles, pointedly.

The Doctor looked up. "Ah. Right. Should have said. Alien, but not me."

"You… you _are_ accusing her of infidelity!" Giles said. He couldn't quite believe this. "After all she's done for you…!"

"Rupert Giles," the Doctor said, very calmly, "something tried to infect my mind, back in Dracula's castle. Some powerful psychic force, specifically targeting the memory center of the brain. Powerful enough that, to repel it, my body had to drop into a coma. And if it can get that far into my mind, it can certainly get into yours."

Giles thought that, of all the excuses the Doctor had used to get out of this, this particular excuse had to be the worst.

"Elizabeth _hasn't_ been pregnant for nine months," said the Doctor. "She's been pregnant for about two hours. And I'm guessing that whatever she's about to give birth to — it isn't what you think."

"And you believe that our memories would be tampered with," Giles said, "while yours remained intact?"

"Yep," said the Doctor, getting back to his book.

"Despite the fact that _you_ seem to be the one with most of the memory problems, recently," Giles continued. "And the fact that you felt this… psychic influence in _your_ mind. Specifically."

The Doctor froze. For just a few seconds.

"Naw, but… but it _can't_ be…" he said.

Giles took a photo off the wall, and brought it over to him. "This is Buffy," he said. "A month ago. Look at her."

The Doctor's eyes lingered on the photo. Of the pregnant Buffy.

"Even if you're not willing to accept what we say," Giles said, "you must accept the evidence of your own eyes. Buffy is pregnant, Doctor. With your child."

Once again, Giles could see that hesitation inside the Doctor. But it disappeared with a suddenness that Giles found mildly insulting.

"Not mine," the Doctor said, getting back to the book.

Giles found himself fuming. "So… your story is that the entire world changed around you — every one of our memories and perceptions, every document or photo or bit of paper, every baby item Buffy has bought or room she's rearranged in preparation… that's all been completely manufactured," said Giles. "While _you_ have been left entirely untouched."

"Yep."

"Well… doesn't that seem a little far-fetched?!" Giles said. "For heaven's sakes, use your eyes! Buffy has been pregnant for the last nine months. The child is yours. She has been entirely faithful to you, despite your complete unwillingness to commit to her, and you've been—"

"Saying all this for the last nine months," the Doctor said, waving the rant off, as he tossed the book over his shoulder. "Yeah, yeah, got that one already. Problem is… I haven't." He grabbed up another book, flipped through the pages. "Whoever implanted that baby knew the memory alteration wouldn't work on me. They knew exactly what I'd say, when Elizabeth turned around and randomly appeared nine months pregnant. They wanted to discredit me, in… case…"

He stopped. The book open in front of him. His eyes glued to the page.

His mouth fell open, and for a moment… he couldn't speak.

Giles advanced, cautiously. But as soon as he saw the page of the book that the Doctor was analyzing, he darted forwards and snatched it out of the Doctor's hands.

It was the page Willow had earmarked, scribbled notes on — upon which lay the spell that would unlock that red crystal. And give the Doctor back his memories.

"You… you knew how to give them back," the Doctor said. Staring at Giles with a look of utter betrayal in his eyes. "You've known this entire time."

"It was Buffy's decision not to," said Giles, snapping the book shut. "I accepted it."

The Doctor advanced on Giles. "Elizabeth's…?" He shook his head. "No. No! It should have been _my_ decision! My memories! Everything I've ever done, everything that's ever happened to me — the ability to _fly_ _my TARDIS_! And you've been keeping it from me! Purposely keeping it from me!"

Giles wasn't sure what to say to this.

The Doctor's face grew stormy. "No," he said. "Not you. _Elizabeth_. Buffy. _She's_ been keeping this from me." His breath came fast, a fire raging inside his eyes. "What is she hiding from me? What?!"

"Nothing," Giles insisted.

"That Watchers assassination squad, last year — they said that the Slayer was responsible for my being alone," the Doctor continued. "They said she had something to do with it! And I may not believe that she single handedly wiped out my entire race, but I know she had a hand in it! She's been keeping me here, on this planet — her _prisoner_ — for the last nine months, without telling me why I'm alone or what happened to—"

"You're blaming _Buffy_?!" Giles cried. His entire body swept up with rage, now. "For God's sakes, man, you're accusing her of destroying your own people?! After everything she's done for you!"

"Oh, no, you can't talk me out of it that easily," the Doctor said. "I'm not that thick. If she didn't have some part to play in all this, why would she be keeping the truth—?"

"Don't you understand?!" Giles shouted. " _Buffy_ didn't destroy your home. _You_ did!"

The Doctor stopped. Froze.

"She has been blaming herself, this entire time," Giles continued, "for… genocide! Mass-murder! Planetary destruction! She has been protecting you, trying to make sure you were happy despite everything you'd done — and now she's even having your child so you can start your entire species over again! And you accuse _her_ of ill will?"

The Doctor stumbled back. A new horror in his eyes. A new tremble in his hands. As he took it all in, and seemed to realize… it was true.

"I… _I_ … destroyed…" He stopped.

Then turned on his heel, and fled.

Giles only realized what he had done the moment it was too late to stop the Doctor from leaving. The Doctor, who, despite everything they'd said or predicted or placed wagers on, had stayed with Buffy this entire time. Who'd remained by her side.

Giles had just made him leave.

"Oh, dear," he muttered.

He went to the phone, and rang Buffy.

"Yes, Buffy?" he said. "I think… I've just made a terrible mistake."

* * *

"You _told_ him?!" Buffy shouted, when she'd arrived over at Giles'.

Willow and Xander were loitering near the couch. Trying not to seem too happy that the Doctor was gone.

"He was accusing you of being responsible!" Giles insisted. "Of keeping him here as your prisoner. I had to say something, or—"

"Or what?" Buffy said. Crossing her arms. "What would he have done? How could this whole situation have been _worse_ if he'd thought I was evil?"

Giles stared at her. Realizing he didn't have a very good answer to that.

Everyone else looked away. Unable to meet Buffy's eyes.

"I… just… can't believe you told!" Buffy said to Giles. "I mean, didn't you even think about telling him _why_ he did it? Why he had to? It's like… you were purposely trying to hurt him! Make him feel like a murderer, without any—"

"Buffy, in our defense," said Willow, "you never actually told us why."

Buffy looked around at them. Realizing... that… she _hadn't_ ever told them why.

"I figured it was 'revenge'," Xander offered. "For, you know. The whole child abuse thing."

Giles and Willow both fidgeted, uncomfortably, but it was clear they had come to the same conclusion as Xander.

"Or maybe a fit of rage," Willow muttered. "You know. 'Bad day'."

Buffy couldn't believe this.

"You guys, the Time Lords went insane by the end of that war," Buffy said. "They were going to destroy the universe. Kill everyone except themselves. That's why!"

Everyone looked at one another. Then back at Buffy.

"Okay," said Xander. "That's… not what I thought."

"The Doctor's still been a jerk about this baby," Willow muttered. "Home planet aside."

Giles was beginning to look undeniably guilty. "Buffy, you must believe — if I'd known, I would have told him," he said. "Really, I would."

Buffy stared at him. Wanting to think he would.

But knowing he wouldn't have.

(Because that wasn't why Giles had said it. No, Giles had said it in a fit of anger, in order to stab back at the Doctor for some perceived injury to Buffy. He'd done it out of vengeance, done it specifically to cause pain.)

"He's probably sulking in the TARDIS," said Tara. "You know, like he did after that whole Faith thing."

Buffy shook her head. She'd already used her own key, and checked. "The TARDIS always makes this kind of happy hum sound, when he's inside," she said. "He isn't there. I'm sure."

Because Giles had driven the Doctor away.

After everything that had come between them. Everything that had happened, in the last nine months, it had been Giles, and not the baby, that had driven the Doctor away.

Giles, telling the Doctor the truth about his own people.

Buffy grabbed up her things. Deciding she didn't have time for this — she needed to find the Doctor, and fast, before he did something he regretted.

And left Giles' house.

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Martha's World:

"How many of us are left?" Dawn asked, when the Toclafane had finally departed.

"Nine," said Faith, leaping over the wreckage and flipping down to the ground. "You, me, Ria, Kennedy, Xander, Vi, Phoebe, Amanda, and Andrew."

Ria gave a grim laugh. "Andrew, huh?"

"Excuse me," said Andrew, scrambling over the wreckage. "But I have a lot to contribute! Aside from working for the Institution for the last few years—"

"In the accounting department," Dawn put in.

"—I have watched a _lot_ of robot apocalypse movies," Andrew continued. He straightened, proudly. "You could say I'm basically the expert on this Toclafane invasion."

Ria nodded. "So how do we take these things down?"

Andrew hesitated. "We… could… do that bullet stopping thing, like Keanu Reeves does in the Matrix, except stopping Toclafane instead of—"

"Okay, so, nine of us," Dawn cut in, before Andrew had a chance to finish. "Less than half our original party."

Over half of them dead, facing down a single Toclafane. Which meant that whatever these Toclafane were, they were a force to be reckoned with. And not even Slayers or magic could take them down.

"And we're in the middle of Greenland," said Phoebe, "with no one around, and no way of communicating with the outside world."

"And no weapons," Vi added.

"And an injured person," Amanda said.

Dawn bit her lower lip. It wasn't looking good, was it?

That was when Xander stumbled back, blinking, as if he'd just been hit by something he hadn't quite realized was there. He held his head in his hands, eyes unfocused.

"Woah," said Xander, seemingly to no one, as he stumbled to regain his footing. "I… yeah, I'm here."

Ria gave him a look that demanded an explanation.

"Telepathic message from Willow," Xander told her.

He paused, as if listening, his eyes fixed into the distance. Then his eyes shifted towards Dawn. A small smile on his lips.

"Oh," he said. "Okay. So where…?"

Another pause. Xander nodded, slowly. As if absorbing information.

"Gotcha," he said. "Scotland, here we come. "

Then he stumbled back a little, as the connection broke.

"Did Willow make it?" asked Dawn. "Is she all right? Is Buffy all right?"

"Oh, yeah, Willow and Buffy are fine," said Xander. "No, better than fine. They've got a plan."

Everyone began to smile, renewed hope in their eyes.

"See," Xander continued, "these Toclafane came to our world using some space-time hole. A portal the Master opened using Willow's stolen mystical energy. Then that portal got sealed away, again, so the Toclafane couldn't return."

"He used _Willow's_ energy?" hissed Kennedy. "The bastard!"

"But if all we need to get rid of the Toclafane is a portal in time and space…" Dawn realized.

Xander pointed at her. "Bingo. We meet up with Seo and the others. Key it up. Portal opens. Great big 'schwump' sound. And…" with the wave of his hand, "no more Toclafane."

Dawn felt a very large grin spread up her face. Oh, that was amazing! Just totally awesomely great! She, Dawn Summers, who'd been hunted down as a kid for being the most dangerous person in the universe, was now going to use those powers for good.

Use her Keyness to save the world.

"How do we meet up?" asked Ria. "They're in London. We're in Greenland."

Xander cringed. "That's the tricky part," he confessed. "We're all supposed to meet up in Glasgow, Scotland. About two months from now."

"Which is… how many miles away?" asked Amanda.

"A butt-load," muttered Phoebe.

"And, according to Willow, on our way, we're supposed to be telling some… stories?" Xander volunteered. He shrugged. "I dunno. She said 'make them think Doctor, use the countdown'."

"Huh?" said Vi.

"No idea, but apparently that's Martha's plan," said Xander. He hesitated, as he noticed the blank faces around him. "You know. Martha Jones? Miss Let's-Teach-Xander-CPR-For-No-Apparent-Reason?"

"Doctor's companion Martha?" Dawn checked.

"Yep," said Xander. He shrugged, with a grin. "Hey. She was right, with the last Master, about my needing to know CPR. So I'm thinking we better trust her on this one."

"And in the meantime, we have to get to Scotland," said Dawn.

Faith reflected on this. "It'll be a tough journey," she decided. "But we're in the middle of nowhere. Fewer Toclafane. Fewer chances we'll get noticed."

"A lot less access to food, clothing, and shelter," Phoebe pointed out. "And Ria's hurt."

Ria got to her feet. "I've got a broken arm," she said. "Not a broken leg. I'm fine."

"So… we're treading across a frozen wasteland, fighting for our lives against a ruthless evil space-emperor, in order to escort Dawn to the hidden rebel camp?" Andrew asked. He adjusted his jacket, officiously. "I am _so_ going to be Luke to Dawn's Princess Leia!"

Dawn hid her face in her hands. "Toclafane, kill me now," she muttered.


	13. Chapter 13

Seo's World:

Buffy and the Scoobies didn't find the Doctor.

Not that night. Not the next. Nor the next. Not even on the third night, when Buffy began to feel the contractions, and everyone around her began panicking.

"No!" Buffy said, as everyone dragged her into the car. "I can't go to the hospital. It's an alien baby! They'll…"

"Yeah, hate to break it to you," said Xander, "but when I signed up to save the world, that didn't include digging my way through newborn baby gunk."

"It'll be safer for you at the hospital," Giles told Buffy.

"And they already know about the genetic weirdness from the ultrasound!" Willow chimed in. "You'll be fine!"

Joyce drove them all to the hospital. Buffy was wheeled into maternity.

And then… they waited. And waited. And waited.

"Does having a baby always take this long?" Xander asked. "Or is this just an alien thing?"

"No, I think this is normal," Tara put in.

"Even Joyce had to take a breather," said Willow. "I think being around alien placenta is giving her serious headaches."

Joyce, herself, wasn't sure where the headaches had come from. Perhaps it was her daughter — her unwed, not-even-out-of-college-yet daughter — screaming in pain, while giving birth to an alien baby whose father had just abandoned her. Or perhaps it was simply the stress of the last nine months, combined with this entire situation.

But Joyce had to get out of there. Get some food. Take in some fresh air.

She found an abandoned spot, somewhere with no people. No noise. Nothing to bother her. Somewhere she could just take a few seconds to reconnect with herself… without… without any… any…

Wait, where was… she…? What was… how… what…?

As the world spun around her, she felt herself dropping towards the ground.

But never hit it.

She stared at the person who'd caught her. Stared with complete disbelief. At that face with the freckles, the large brown eyes. The whirr of the sonic screwdriver.

Why had she been surprised to see him? Why had she been angry at him? Why…?

Then the world went black, and she dropped into unconsciousness.

* * *

It was Ben Wilkinson who made the connection.

Recognized the man in the pinstripe suit, the Dr. John Smith, who'd broken into the medical records room, earlier.

"Joyce is going to be all right," Ben assured him. "It's a good thing you brought her in, or it might have been a lot more serious." He noticed the way in which the Doctor was eyeing the pay-phone, and guessed. "You… want to call her family."

"Her daughter," said the Doctor. "Tried. No answer. Bit odd. Thought she—"

Ben cleared his throat. "Actually, _she_ is in maternity."

The Doctor turned back to Ben. "Sorry, she's what?"

"She was taken into maternity last night," said Ben. He was a little surprised to learn that the man in the pinstripe suit hadn't known this, but it wasn't his place to judge.

A horrified expression crossed the Doctor's face. "Then… I'm too late," he muttered. Turned back to Ben. "Where is she? Take me to her!"

Ben nodded, leading the impatient Doctor through the hospital and to the maternity ward. The moment the Doctor entered, he sprinted right past the group of Buffy's friends — all staring at him with their mouths open — and towards the computers behind reception.

"He came back!" Willow said.

Ben went over to them. Told them what had happened with Joyce Summers. How the Doctor had brought her in.

Meanwhile, the receptionists were standing up and shouting at the Doctor, the rest of the hospital staff starting to come over to see what was the matter.

The Doctor didn't pay any notice. Just got the number of the room Buffy was being held in, and rushed off, bursting through the doors and ignoring all shouts of, "You can't go in there!"

He ran. Raced as fast as he could. Dodging trolleyed babies and nurses and wheel-chaired young mothers cradling their newborns in their arms.

Whatever Buffy was giving birth to, it wasn't going to be human. Not even remotely.

And the Doctor was guessing… it was bad. Dangerous.

He burst through the door, to find…

Buffy. Holding a tiny, crying, newborn baby girl in her arms. Looking down at the girl as if she were the most amazingly beautiful thing in the universe.

And… the thing was…

She _was._

The Doctor stepped forward. Tucking his sonic back into his pocket. As he looked at this… amazing, brilliant, wonderful little girl in Buffy's arms.

Buffy looked up at him. Noticing him for the first time. Her face lighting up, the hints of tears in her eyes. As if… she'd never doubted he'd come back. As if she knew he'd be here.

"Not alone," she told him. "Not anymore. Not ever again."

The Doctor didn't answer. Couldn't answer. Now that he knew he was responsible for the destruction of his own home. That he was responsible for that loneliness.

And Buffy Summers had lifted it from him. With this child.

Buffy handed him the child. The little baby girl. His ray of sunlight, illuminating the night sky. His burst of joy where there had once been nothing but despair.

"Meet… Dawn," said Buffy. "Dawn Marie Summers."

The Doctor took her. Looked into her face, that tiny little face. That beautiful, bright little face, the bone structure looking so much like her mother's. But the tiny freckles… precisely like his own.

"Hello," he squeaked.

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Martha's World:

Buffy, Willow, and Martha snuck out of the bomb shelter, while the others were asleep.

Willow carried the little David Korjensky in her arms, as he dozed. They'd given him a sedative, to make sure he slept no matter what. Whatever quest Buffy and the others were going on, it was pretty clear that David shouldn't come with them.

Time to find his parents.

They crept down the streets of London. Staring at the devastation and destruction surrounding them. Martha shuddering, as she came across places she knew and remembered.

"This is Earth," she whispered to herself. "This… is Earth."

Buffy had to stop a few moments, when she saw the ruined remains of Alison's neighborhood, just to calm down her own hysterics. The world had ended. Really ended. The one apocalypse Buffy had failed to prevent.

"The Doctor will fix this," Martha reassured Buffy. "I believe in him."

Buffy didn't answer. Shoved her emotions down, nodded at Martha. Then carried on, looking for survivors.

Alison's mom had survived. Her dad was dead.

When Alison's mom saw David in Willow's arms, she broke down into tears. Broke down even more, hearing Alison was unharmed. The poor woman had believed both her children were dead.

"I'll get these two to a group of survivors," Martha promised Willow and Buffy. She planted a determined expression on her face. "It's time… I started carrying out the Doctor's plan."

And so Martha, Willow, and Buffy parted ways.

Willow and Buffy had one more place they needed to check, anyways, before they could return to the shelter.

The pile of rubble and torn down buildings were all that was left of Bannerman road.

"It looks like someone dropped a bomb, here," Willow said, picking her way through the debris. "Or several."

"Sarah Jane had all kinds of useful alien tech in her attic," Buffy muttered, trying to suppress her fury and anger over what had been done. "No way would he have risked letting that stick around."

They found bodies. So many bodies. But no survivors.

If Seo hadn't saved Luke…

"Buffy!" shouted Willow, from a pile of rubble not far off. "I found someone!"

Buffy raced over, to find a thin man, rasping for breath, pinned down by a slab of roofing material. His head was covered in blood, half his body singed and burned. He might have been alive, but just barely.

"Maria…" the man rasped.

Buffy grabbed up the slab, and shoved it off of him. "We've got to get him to cover," she said, glancing around herself. "The Master's UFC Containment Forces are on constant patrol. And so are the Toclafane."

They managed to maneuver the injured man into the nearest intact hiding place, then lay him down, letting him breathe. His eyes were pained. Desperate.

"They killed Maria," he said. "The Toclafane. I watched… them… shoot her down in cold blood. My… daughter…"

Buffy's arms and legs prickled with goosebumps. Oh, God. She couldn't even imagine what this guy must be going through.

"Sarah Jane," Buffy forced herself to say. Even though she knew that would be the last thing on this grieving parent's mind. "Is she…?"

The man shook his head. "Dead."

Everyone was dead.

The Toclafane had been thorough, here. They'd known this was a problem area. They'd dealt with it, before anyone could resist the Master's reign.

The man didn't last much longer. His injuries were too extensive. Buffy and Willow stayed with him, as he died. Watched, giving as much comfort and hope as they could, while he took his last few breaths.

Neither Willow nor Buffy said anything for a very long time, after that.

The empty wind whistled through the rubble. The distant echo of gunfire from UFC troops rolled across the destroyed street. So many dead. And the Master just kept killing.

"Our world," Willow whispered.

Buffy looked over at her friend. Willow's eyes were furious. Her hands clenched in utter desperate fury. Her body trembling with an emotion she couldn't keep down.

"Our world," Willow growled. "Our Earth. Destroyed. Torn apart! I swear, I'm gonna kill the Master for this! I'll—"

Buffy put a hand on Willow's shoulder. Looked deep into her eyes. And said two words:

"Faith changed."

For a few long minutes, they both just stayed there. Looking at one another. Unable to speak.

Then Willow sighed, and gave it up.

"You're better than the rest of us, Buffy," she said, as the two headed back towards the bomb shelter.

Buffy shook her head. Eyes fixed on the ground. "I just remember how it feels," she said, "to be really and truly alone."

* * *

The town of Qaqortoq was silent. The streets abandoned. No bodies in the streets, not a lot of destruction to homes, but the blood along the gutters told another story.

They called out for survivors.

No one answered.

"Maybe… no one survived," said Vi, softly. Her voice almost lost on the wind.

"Don't say that," snapped Phoebe.

"Well, what if it's true?" said Vi. She waved her arms, to indicate the nine of them. "What if everyone else in the world is dead? What if we're the last survivors of the human race?"

"They look pretty alive," said Amanda, peering down a twisting road.

Everyone turned, to discover a group of villagers racing towards them, shouting in a cacophony of syllables and sounds that they couldn't understand. Each was armed with a shovel, raised above their heads, getting ready to strike.

"At least it's not pitchforks?" Xander offered.

The Slayers, nearby, crouched into fighting stances, getting ready for the assault.

Then one of the villagers spied Faith.

And raced out, in front of the others, speaking to them, calming them down. The villagers looked over the Slayers, suspiciously. But then lowered their shovels. And seemed to accept what they'd just heard.

Faith grinned, with recognition. "Hey. It's… Malik."

"Malik?" asked Dawn.

"We woke him up in the middle of the night, to help us," said Phoebe. She shrugged. "He was nice."

Malik spun around. Greeted Faith, warmly, in heavily accented English.

"The… Toclafane… they came in the night," Malik told them. "Killed us in our beds. My family, and the others who helped you — we were able to hide. You saved us."

"So… you thought you'd fight the Toclafane with shovels?" asked Vi.

Kennedy elbowed her in the side. "They're to bury the dead!" she hissed.

Vi's mouth formed a small 'Oh,' and she stepped back, a little, with a cringe. "I knew that."

"Nearly a hundred died," said Malik. "A hundred deaths, in so short a time! Men, women, children! Slaughtered!"

"And the rest of the world?" asked Amanda.

"From everywhere else — America, Europe, Iceland…" Malik made a gesture. "Nothing. Silence."

Everyone in the group looked at one another, worried expressions on their faces.

Ria stepped forward, her head lowered, in sympathy, her eyes meeting Malik's. "I know how you feel," she said. Offered him her non-injured hand. "We'll help. I promise."

"Just the eight of you?" asked Malik.

"We're a lot stronger than we look," Faith assured him. "And we've got help from—"

"Wait, what do you mean, eight?" Dawn cut in. She gestured at the group. "There are nine of us."

Malik turned on Dawn. His eyes staring, as if… confused. He blinked, squinted, then shook his head. "You… why are you… like that?"

"Like what?" asked Dawn.

Ria looked over at Dawn, too. A sudden spark appearing in her eyes, a small grin touching her lips. "The perception filter," she realized.

"What about it?" asked Dawn. She took out the TARDIS key draped around her neck. "I've been wearing this around the Slayer Institute, and you guys—"

"We fight demons and aliens and things that don't want to be seen," said Ria. "We're trained to look in the shadows. But to every one of Saxon's soldiers, every Toclafane, every passer-by — you're practically invisible."

"Until you draw attention to yourself," added Amanda.

Dawn took this in. Her hand gripping the TARDIS key, tight as she could. They had eight of the Slayer Institute's top people. And a perception filter.

Suddenly, this trip didn't seem so impossible, after all.

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Seo's World:

There was, of course, the usual. Or at least, what Buffy would have expected, given that this was the Doctor. The hospital staff coming in to drag him out of there. Buffy's insisting that, yes, he was the father, and he had every right to be there. The Doctor needing to flash his psychic paper.

And the newborn baby being rushed out of the room and taken for a basic checkup and tests.

Then there was the explanation, helped by Ben Wilkinson, of what had happened to Buffy's mother. Assurances that Joyce was going to be fine. That it was lucky the Doctor had been with her, when it happened. That everything was going to be all right.

And then there was the moment when Buffy and the Doctor could finally be alone, together.

"Doctor," said Buffy. "What Giles said. About…"

But the Doctor didn't want to talk about that. Very obviously didn't.

"That baby," the Doctor said. "She's… actually my… our…" He shook his head. "I can't believe it."

Buffy gave him a smile. Taking his hand in her own. "I can."

"It isn't possible," the Doctor continued. "Doesn't make sense. But… there she is! Our…" He swallowed around a lump in his throat.

"Daughter."

"Our light in the darkness."

"Our Dawn."

The Doctor's eyes drifted out the window. He gave a small laugh. "Our Seosyrae," he mused.

Buffy looked at him, curiously. "Our whozza-what?"

" _Seosyrae_ ," the Doctor said. "Nickname. Everyone should have a nickname! Earth name for a real name — well, she was born on Earth, only makes sense she should have an Earth name. And a nickname. What we call her. Seosyrae."

"Seosyrae," Buffy double-checked. She kind of liked it. "That's pretty."

"Gallifreyan," the Doctor explained. "Means 'the dawning of the second sun.'"

Buffy paused. Frowned. "Hang on. Why the _second_ sun?"

"Word for the first sun doesn't sound as pretty," the Doctor confessed. "'Miseardae'."

Okay. Buffy would give him that one.

"So that's how it works?" Buffy asked. "You get a real name from your own world, and then a nickname from somewhere else?"

"No idea," the Doctor said. "Can't remember. But, well. Seems about right." He beamed, proud of himself. "Seosyrae! Brilliant name!" His smile faltered, as he turned to her. "Unless… you don't like…"

Buffy figured that since she'd chosen the girl's _actual_ name — while the Doctor was busy saving Mom's life — it was only fair to let the Doctor choose out this one.

"I guess it's either Seosyrae," Buffy said, "or…" She frowned. "What do you get when you combine 'the Doctor' with 'the Slayer'?"

"Jack the Ripper?" the Doctor guessed.

They both looked at one another. Digesting this.

"Seosyrae," Buffy said, quickly.

"Seosyrae," the Doctor confirmed. "Definitely."

* * *

Buffy knew she and the Doctor had to talk about it, sometime.

It was just… hard to find the right moment. What with Buffy's mom in the hospital, and Buffy in the maternity ward, and a brand new alien baby girl around.

That last part was not causing as many problems as Buffy had expected.

"We… performed some tests," said the nurse. "X-rays and that kind of thing. But… we might need you to come back, a little later. The equipment… seems to be malfunctioning."

"Double exposure on the heart?" the Doctor guessed.

The nurse shook her head. "No, nothing like that," she said. "Just… no output."

The Scoobies noticed it, as well.

"It's got to be the light in here, or something," said Willow, poking at the settings on her digital camera. "I just can't get a picture of her." She turned to Tara. "Open the window. Maybe the sunlight will help."

It didn't.

Nor did the flash.

No, every single time anyone tried to take a picture of little baby Seo, they discovered the same thing. Seo just… didn't show up on camera. If they were lucky, they got a faint, ghost-like image. But most of the time, there was nothing.

"Maybe this is just what happens with Time Lord babies," Xander proposed.

"She isn't a Time Lord," the Doctor said, automatically. Without quite knowing why.

Xander huffed. "Time Lady. Whatever."

It wasn't long before the Doctor started to get antsy about staying in the hospital. Particularly when every medical test involving any sort of monitoring equipment came up with… screwy results. Almost like… there was too little data to do anything with.

So the moment Buffy's mom was released and okayed, medically, and the Doctor and Buffy discovered they could leave, they did.

"No more hospitals," the Doctor said, when they were in the car, driven home. "Not for Seo."

Buffy gave him a pointed look. "As long as there's a Doctor around," she agreed, "then, fine, no more hospitals." She paused. "Where were you, anyways?"

"Trying to work out what was going on with the baby." The Doctor's eyes lit up. "Which reminds me!" He reached into his pocket, and brought out a small, palm-sized glowing sphere. "Found this."

Buffy squinted at it. "What is it?"

"Not a clue," the Doctor said.

Buffy nodded, slowly. "Okay. And what does it have to do with Seo?"

"Not sure about that, either," the Doctor confessed. "Found it hanging about, a few towns over. Odd energy signature. Thought… maybe…" He shrugged, sheepishly.

Buffy looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms. "You… were a few towns over?" she asked, quietly. She let this sink in. Just how far he'd run, when he'd heard the truth. "What Giles said… it upset you."

The Doctor didn't answer.

"Look, your home world — you did it for the right reasons," Buffy told him. "I mean, you had to—"

"Had to what?" the Doctor snapped. "What reason could I possibly have had? What justification could you possibly give for the complete destruction of an entire race?"

"The whole universe would have been destroyed, if you hadn't—"

"There must have been another way!" the Doctor insisted. "There's always another way, no matter how impossible it seems. I just…" He paused. A solemn, pained expression sliding into his face. "…didn't take it."

"Doctor," said Buffy.

"You were right," the Doctor said. "Not to give me back my memories. Whoever I was, before… whatever I did… I don't want to know. That's not me. Not anymore." He looked down at the small child in Buffy's arms. "I have another chance, now. A second dawn."

Buffy gave a small sigh. "You were always a good person," she told him. "The best kind of person. I promise." She cringed. "It was _me_ who wasn't. Not giving you back your memories. Not giving you a choice. It was wrong. Cruel. I get that, now."

She'd wanted to give the memories back. Hadn't wanted to cage him.

But the thought of watching him get emotionally torn to shreds, reliving all his worst moments…

Buffy couldn't stand the thought of hurting him like that.

"I gave the red crystal to Angel," Buffy told him. "Down in LA. He knows about your memories. He knows the spells and things needed to give them back to you. Just in case… you change your mind. It's your choice."

The Doctor didn't answer.

"And even if you don't change your mind, you can still…" Buffy faltered. "I mean, it's just…" She stopped, again. "Thing is, Doctor, every Slayer has an expiration date. Usually around my age. If I die…" She shrugged. "I want you to be able to fly your TARDIS, again. Travel around the universe. Save worlds. And be happy." She stared out the window. "I only ever wanted you to be happy. And I did it badly and… I'm sorry. Really."

The Doctor still remained silent for a long while.

"Something's wrong," he said, at last. Very quietly. "Very wrong."

Buffy looked back at him. "Huh?"

The grave expression on his face dropped, in an instant. He beamed at her. "Nothing!" he said. "Nothing wrong! Brilliant, that's what it is. Brilliant new life. Brilliant new family. Brilliant new… everything!"

But Buffy couldn't help but get the uneasy feeling… that the Doctor was lying.


	14. Chapter 14

Martha's World:

"No," said Buffy, packing up the supplies they'd need to go on their journey. "Just… no. Don't even go there, Seo."

They were all back in the bomb shelter, readying themselves for their trip to Glasgow. Luke and Alison had all been told the fates of their families, but hadn't gone into the outside world.

Yet.

"Why not?" asked Seo, putting some food supplies into a backpack. She grinned. "We're a group of travelers who've banded together to cross lands overtaken by a terrible evil. The Toclafane are on our trail, as well as the once-noble soldiers who've turned evil, under the Master's reign. We might not have one ring to rule them all, but we're definitely just like the Fellowship of the Ring!"

Buffy closed her eyes, leaning her head against the wall of the bomb shelter. "This is my karmic justice for being so mean to Andrew, that one year, isn't it?" she muttered.

"You know, Andrew's actually in Greenland, with the others, right now," Willow offered.

Buffy hit her head against the wall.

"I'm Frodo," said Seo. "Obviously. And Alison can be Samwise Gamgee — because we'll stick together, through thick and thin. Willow's Gandalf, because she's all with the magic. Luke can be Legolas! And Mom is Aragorn."

Luke cringed. "If we're the Fellowship… which of us is going to wind up being Boromir?"

"We don't need a Boromir!" Seo replied, chirpily. "No one's Boromir! We're…" Seo trailed off, as she caught Alison cracking up. "What?"

"Seo, going by height, alone," said Alison, "there's no way you and your mum are anything but hobbits."

"Can we just drop the _Lord of the Rings_ analogy, please?" said Buffy, turning on them. "We've got a long, horrible, dangerous journey ahead of us. Trying to bring something super magic to a certain spot, in order to fight against an evil threat that's taken over the Earth, and his band of soldiers who've been corrupted by their own greed for power and the Master's influence. That has absolutely nothing to do with…" She stopped.

Damn. That was basically the plot of _Lord of the Rings_ , wasn't it?

"At least I'm not comparing our situation to _Waiting for Godot_!" Seo replied. She sighed. "With my father's plan, that comparison would just be depressing."

Buffy had never actually read _Waiting for Godot_.

Which didn't help.

"Why don't you want her to compare our journey to _Lord of the Rings_?" asked Luke, a little confused. "It's very similar."

"First, it romanticizes the whole thing," Buffy snapped. "Second — I'm pretty sure people in Glasgow are going to be pretty pissed off if they find out you're comparing their home city to Mordor! And third…" Buffy put her hands on her hips. "Do you know how much easier it is to slay an Orc than a Toclafane?!"

Luke and Alison exchanged glances. Then burst out laughing.

"I'd rather face down an army of Orcs than go up against a Toclafane!" said Buffy. "They're invincible metal spheres, and…" She spun on Luke and Alison. "And why are you two laughing?! You're supposed to be in grief."

"Technically, I think we're both in the first stage of grief," Luke observed. "Denial. According to various books I've read, the moment a subject is traumatized, they go into a sort of shock state. Unable or unwilling to cope with what's happened."

Alison shrugged. Pointed at Luke. "Yep. What he said. Basically."

"Buffy," said Willow, softly, putting a hand on Buffy's shoulder. "It's okay. If they want it to be like _Lord of the Rings_ , let it be like _Lord of the Rings_."

Buffy shook her head. "It's pulling them into fantasy," she said. "It's like what Andrew did, when we went against the First! Making them think they're safe, when—"

"Andrew is an idiot," said Willow. "Because he makes stupid analogies, and believes them." She glanced over at Seo, who was quietly slipping a dog-whistle, a can-opener, and a bunch of flashlights and batteries into her backpack. "Your daughter… knows exactly what she's up against." She leaned in, whispered, "The analogy isn't for _her_ , you know."

Buffy looked over at Alison and Luke, together with Seo, the three of them packing, discussing books and literature and psychological shock conditions, as they packed, all of them clearly trying to laugh and analyze and discuss to cover the bitter pain and anger that flooded through them.

"You're right — this is going to be the hardest trip they've ever taken," Willow said. "We've both seen the destruction outside. If Luke and Alison have something to cling to, when they first see it, some hope that things might turn out all right, in the end…"

Buffy looked on, for a few seconds longer. Looked on at these three completely geeky kids, discussing philosophy and existentialist theory and anything else they could cling to, to distract themselves from the dread and fear they would feel, otherwise.

Then sighed, and got on with her packing.

Karma was a bitch.

* * *

"This is wrong," said Ria, watching as the residents of Qaqortoq tried to go on with their lives. Attempted to forget there was an outside world, at all, just pretended they were alone.

Ria and the others had gone to the city center, after first arriving in Qaqortoq. Seen the footage of what had happened, on the Valiant. Fiddled around with the communications equipment the Qaqortoq residents had, there, and managed to uncover a series of messages broadcast to the outside world. Messages announcing that the residents of Earth should take the Toclafane attack as a cautionary warning about what would happen if they resisted their Master — and announcing that they should prepare for deportation to labor camps.

"The members of Qaqortoq think they're safe," said Ria. Gesturing at the townsfolk, surrounding them. "They think, because they're out of the way, Saxon won't come for them."

"Won't they be safe, though?" asked Vi, a little timidly. "I mean, Saxon's busy with big cities. He's not going to care what happens in Greenland."

Ria glanced back at Vi. Her outrage overpowering any physical pain she felt from her jostled arm. "And what happens after humanity's no longer useful to him?" Ria demanded. "It's only a matter of time, Vi, before we all die."

"Xander said Martha and the Doctor have a plan," Dawn offered.

Ria's jaw remained set. Her eyes still fixed on the saddened people of Qaqortoq. "Wait for the countdown," she muttered. "A year from now."

"I still have no idea how that plan is actually supposed to work," Amanda put in. "I mean, I know the Doctor wiped out the vampires and everything, but… is it possible that, _this_ time, he's gone nuts?"

"If the Doctor says it'll work, it'll work," said Ria. "I'm not doubting him." She sucked in a sharp breath. Looked out, at the apathetic villagers. "But if I have to wait a year, before Saxon's stopped… I'm going to make sure as many people survive that year as possible. I _have_ to." She gestured at the townspeople, nearby. "And they're going to help me."

Faith scoffed. "Not even you can get them to do that."

Ria glanced over her shoulder and gave Faith a knowing grin. And a wink.

* * *

The UFC containment forces came for the remainder of the Slayers, a few days later.

About thirty men, armed to the teeth, helicoptering in and then racing through the city with guns drawn and orders to shoot on sight. They split into three groups, and began instigating a house-to-house search, all shouting, ruthless, kicking in doors and firing without seeing who was in the buildings in the first place.

Problem was… there was never anyone in the buildings.

The city was abandoned.

"Three thousand people in this damn city," muttered the troop leader, analyzing another empty, shot-up house. "You'd think we'd see one!"

One of the soldiers swung around, pointing his rifle, and shooting. "There's one!"

Everyone else turned, seeing the last traces of a running girl, darting across the twisting street and then ducking out of sight. They all put up their rifles, chasing after her, intent on fulfilling their mission.

They chased the girl for about five minutes, before she disappeared. Full-scale, disappeared. No sight of her.

"I'm sure she was here!" said one of the soldiers. "I know I saw her…"

A sudden cry, from a soldier on the outskirts of the group, and everyone spun on their heels — but too slow. A group of young women had already surrounded them, their every move too fast to process, their punches expert and their aim exceptional. Guns were kicked from hands, soldiers were winded, knocked out, and shoved aside, until only three men were left standing.

Unarmed.

They raised their hands in surrender, as a woman with a broken arm and a nasty-looking scar across her face stepped forward. Carrying one of their own rifles. Her eyes fierce. Determined.

So this… must be her, the squad leader realized. The President of the Slayer Institution.

"Ria Hiskaloph," the squad leader announced. "A known enemy of our Master."

Ria glanced back at the others, who swarmed the three men, taking and smashing all communications devices they had on them. Any link connecting them back to the Valiant or the Master.

Ria surveyed the squad leader, through dark eyes. "And you'd be the one in charge," she said. "The one with all the intel."

The squad leader said nothing.

Just waited for the other groups to notice what had happened. Come bail him out.

Ria glanced back at her Slayers. "You know the drill. Same with these as all the others." Then fixed her eyes on the squad leader, once more. "Except him. I want him bound and secured and coming with me."

The squad leader's confidence wavered. As he realized… these Slayers hadn't started with their group. That every other UFCA who'd come to Qaqortoq… was probably already dead.

He tried to think of what to do, as he was secured, and dragged along behind Ria Hiskaloph.

* * *

All the residents of Qaqortoq had gathered, to watch.

This Ria Hiskaloph — her forces had seen the helicopters. She'd been prepared. Had a plan. Told them all to trust her, and she'd make sure they got out of this alive. The residents of Qaqortoq had been scared. Terrified. Hopeless. But they'd complied.

She'd saved their lives.

Then offered the UFC troopers she'd captured a choice. Either die, or follow her.

They'd decided to follow her.

Now, Ria was surrounded by the Qaqortoq residents, all assembled in the square. The UFC squad leader was now knelt down, on his knees, bound and secured. A young Slayer was aiming a rifle at his head. Ria stood facing him, a determined look on her face.

Beside Ria, Malik waited. To translate, for those of the crowd who didn't know English.

"What was your mission?" Ria asked the squad leader.

The squad leader didn't say anything.

"You may as well answer," Ria told him. "Saxon's never going to let you live, after you return a failure. The only people who might show you any kindness or compassion at all are right here. Us." Her eyes narrowed. "So what do you have to lose?"

The squad leader thought this over. Then sighed. "Our Master knew you and your Slayers were here. So he commanded us to come into the town and… shoot on sight." He hesitated, looking out at the angry Qaqortoq residents. "Shoot… everyone."

"Everyone?" Ria confirmed.

"Those were the orders," muttered the squad leader. "He wanted to see physical bodies for you and your team. Make sure you were dead. The rest of the city… he didn't care about."

"And if we Slayers weren't here," said Ria. "If we'd never shown up. What then? What's Saxon doing to everyone else?"

The squad leader hesitated, again. Then gave in, figuring Ria was his best chance at survival. "Labor camp roundups, mostly," he admitted. "But Greenland — you're too out of the way. Too few people, not worth the effort." He gave a bitter laugh. "If it hadn't been for you and your Slayers, we'd probably have torched this city to the ground. That's the usual procedure."

Every single resident of Qaqortoq went deathly silent. As they took this in.

Ria turned on them. Standing on the edge of the fountain, in the center of the city, her injuries looked more like badges of honor, her determination seemed to swell with something that inspired hope and confidence, and when the sun shone down on her, it seemed to be promising something to all assembled nearby.

"You see?" Ria demanded of the crowd. " _That_ is who you're dealing with. A murderer, who thinks nothing of human life."

A murmur rose up through the crowd, as Malik translated the statement.

"You can't hide and hope he doesn't find you!" Ria shouted. "You can't sit around while the world gets slaughtered, and hope you'll be safe. Because you won't be safe. While Saxon's in charge, every single human life is expendable. You. Your children. Your friends, family, relatives. Everyone."

The murmur grew.

"I have a friend," Ria called out. "Who can help. His name's the Doctor. He'll fix this. Save us all." She paused, her eyes skimming across the people assembled. "But if we want him to save us, we first have to save ourselves."

The squad leader scoffed. "The Doctor?" he said. "That guy's powerless. An old man. 'Gandalf', our Master calls him."

Ria's eyes darted back to the squad leader. A smug smile on her face. "If I remember my Tolkein, I recall that Gandalf the Gray fell," she said, "only to rise up, again, stronger than before, as Gandalf the White."

"Hey, yeah!" said a tweedy looking young man, nearby. "And then there was the Balrog, who was all like—"

"Andrew, shut up," snapped one of Ria's Slayers.

Ria turned to the crowd, again. Her posture, voice, and determination infectious, her certainty sweeping through the town. They had been massacred, they had been helpless — but here was someone who'd saved them.

Someone they could believe in.

"We are humanity!" Ria shouted to them. "We protect! We defend! We fight back!" She raised her gun up into the air. "And it's time to show Saxon that he is not _our_ Master!"

A chorus of cheers rose up from the crowd, followed by still more, as Malik translated.

Ria hopped down to the squad leader. Offered him a hand, pulling him up to his feet. Her eyes meeting his. "You've got a choice, now," she told him. "Either you join us. Fight to take back this planet. Or you die."

"You're planning to kill me?" said the squad leader.

"Not us," said Ria. "Saxon. You run back to him, a failure, and he'll kill you on the spot. Help us, and we'll make sure you survive. It's an easy choice to make."

Xander, from the outskirts of the town, raced forwards, out of breath, pushing through the crowd and towards Ria. "Ria! Reinforcements spotted! Due west!"

"Then we implement the next part of the plan," said Ria. She turned to Malik. "Tell them to scatter."

* * *

On the operations bridge of the Valiant, everyone went very still. As the news came in.

The UFC strike on Qaqortoq had failed. All operatives captured or dead.

They couldn't get a lot of information on what, specifically, had happened. But there were rumors coming back that Hiskaloph had regrouped the survivors. Was using them to fight back.

Worse still, ADC Dexter had just discovered, going through some old records, that Hiskaloph had some connection to the Doctor.

"We're all going to get it in the neck for this," one of the operations managers muttered. "The Master will kill us all, when he finds out." He bent over his terminal, head in hands. "Why did this have to happen while I was on duty?"

One thing they'd already discovered about the Master. He hated bad news. Enough to kill over it.

"It's just Greenland," said ADC Dexter. "The middle of nowhere. We'll resolve the problem before he has to know anything about it." She turned to the operations manager. "Send ground troop reinforcements. I want Hiskaloph hunted down and removed, quickly and efficiently as possible."

The operations manager saluted, then got to work making it all happen.

ADC Dexter looked down at the folder in her hands. The folder with the information the Master had gathered on Martha Jones.

"As for me," she said. "I have a more important target to find."


	15. Chapter 15

Seo's World:

The first few weeks of a new baby were the most terrifying.

Possibly of Buffy's entire life.

Diapers, and feeding, and endless nights of being woken up by a screaming child who seemed to never sleep, at all, and… and… seriously, how much baby vomit could you absorb before you turned into some great big Baby Vomit Monster?

"Yeah, but… I bet she's really smart," Willow said to Buffy.

"Oh, yeah," said Buffy, stifling a yawn. "She got accepted to MIT a few days ago. But _then_ , she figured out that she could wave her hands and feet in the air! And that's _way_ more exciting!"

Add all of that baby-taking-care-of stuff on top of Patrol, and Buffy was starting to understand why most Slayers never became moms.

Buffy, luckily, had some help from her own mom. Which was good.

And, unexpectedly, help from the Doctor.

"There," he said, as he did up the new diaper, and handed Seo back to Buffy. "Easy peasy!"

Buffy stared at him. "How do you know how to change diapers?!"

"No idea," the Doctor told her.

But Buffy got a bit of a hint, when he was tucking Seo in, one night, and began singing her a lullaby. A lullaby in a language the TARDIS didn't translate.

"Just sort of… popped into my head," the Doctor explained to Buffy, later. "Translates to, 'Sleep well, beneath the stars in the sky, dream of a place beyond even the vortex, let your mind roam free as the flutterwings and tafelshrews. Sleep well, young Susan, in a land of dreams and…"

"Susan?" Buffy asked.

The Doctor paused. Frowned. "Seo. I meant Seo."

And that was when a thought began to strike Buffy. A thought that was… too sad for words.

"I think… he had kids, before," Buffy told Willow, one day. "Back when his planet was still around. I think… he lost them."

Maybe that was one of the reasons that the Doctor had never been able to forgive himself, back before he lost his memory. Not just having to lose his own planet, but having to lose his own children…!

"I thought you said he wasn't helping all that much," Willow pointed out. "Because he was going serious Sherlock Holmes on why Seo doesn't show up in pictures."

Buffy gave a small grin and a laugh. "Yeah," she said. "Yeah, he is. Total brainy-spec moment." She loved it when the Doctor went all detective. She thought it was adorable.

Willow just thought it was the Doctor's excuse to get out of babysitting Seo.

"I mean, _he_ doesn't sleep, like, at all!" Willow pointed out to Buffy. "So why doesn't he take care of Seo, while you're asleep, and let you live your life?"

"It's not like that," said Buffy. "We're tag-teaming this whole thing. It's okay."

Buffy had expected the Doctor to take Seo into the TARDIS, all the time. He did so, once.

And never again.

It took a few weeks before they hit upon the solution to Seo's sleepless nights and endless crying.

The answer, weirdly enough, came from a very nice but obviously misguided friend of Mom's.

Buffy, arriving home from Patrol, was shocked to find Seo quiet. She went upstairs, to check on Seo. Was she asleep? No, no, there were noises, just not… screaming noises. Buffy opened the door, and discovered…

Mom, leaning over Seo's crib, a stuffed children's Dracula doll in her hand, holding it in front of Seo and whispering to her in quiet baby-speak.

Buffy's eyes went wide.

She snatched the doll out of her mother's hands. "Mom, what are you—?"

Seo began to kick and scream.

Mom took the toy out of Buffy's hands. "A friend of mine gave it to Seo," she explained, showing it to the baby, again. "And I thought, because of the whole Slayer thing, maybe she'd like it."

Seo reached out for it, but didn't seem to quite understand how to grab things, yet.

"It makes her happy," Mom explained to Buffy.

Buffy almost died, right then and there.

The one thing that got her daughter to calm down and stop screaming… was a stuffed toy of the vampire… who'd almost murdered her father.

Yeah, that was great.

* * *

Buffy and the Doctor weren't the only ones busy, though.

The big news, in the other-Scoobies department, was Giles' decision to buy the local magic shop. Which had _just_ gotten overrun by demons, a short time ago.

"Giles, are you sure about this?" Buffy asked, strapping Seo into a stroller.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Giles asked her.

"Well, apart from the fact that magic shop owners in Sunnydale have the life expectancy of a Spinal-Tap drummer," said Buffy, "have you ever run a store before?"

"I was a librarian for years," Giles told her. "This is exactly the same, except that people _pay_ for the things they never return. This will give me focus, help me increase my resources — and keep you lot from tramping about my flat at all hours. There may even be space for you to train in the back."

"Yeah," said Buffy. "These days, I'm less with the Slaying, more with the momming."

Giles had decided to call his store the Magic Box.

Which the Doctor fully objected to.

"It is _not_ magic," the Doctor said. "It's dimensionally transcendental!"

"Uh, I think Giles is talking about… _his_ Magic Box," said Willow. "Not… yours."

The Doctor then proceeded to take a look at the merchandise Giles was planning to sell, and ranting about how half of it was, "superstitious clap-trap" that didn't technically have anything to do with the "real psychic nature of what's going on," and that he saw no reason to stock things like actual newt's eyeballs, when "synthetic would do just as well, considering it's simply a form of resonant energy transfer"…

And on and on and on.

So, no. The Doctor didn't like the Magic Box very much.

Maybe that was why Anya loved it.

Anya had, by this point, become slightly more comfortable showing her face around the Doctor. Since she was starting to believe that some future version of him wasn't going to suddenly appear out of nowhere, remember she was here, and uncreate her.

But there was no way she was ever going to feel completely comfortable around a Time Lord.

What she did feel comfortable around, as it turned out, was money. And magical items. Which meant that, in the Magic Box, Anya was in her element. By the end of the first week, Giles had already offered her a job there. And by the next day, Anya was basically taking charge of the inventory.

Which gave Giles a chance to catch his breath, and do some research on the glowing orb thing that the Doctor had found, before Seo was born.

"Actually, I've uncovered more than I expected," Giles told Buffy, when they finally both got the chance to get together. He opened a book, the orb glowing light across the page. "It's called a Dagon's Sphere, and has a history dating back many centuries."

"What's it do?" Buffy asked.

"It's a protection device," Giles told her. "Used to ward off ancient, primordial evil."

Okay, then.

"And 'evil' means…?" Buffy asked.

"No idea," Giles admitted. "This is where the accounts get vague. Seems this… Dagon's Sphere… was created to repel…" He looked down at the page, his finger beneath the words, as he read, "'That Which Cannot Be Named.'"

Buffy nodded, slowly. "So we're fighting… Lord Voldemort."

Giles gave her a look that warned her to be serious.

"What does this have to do with Seo?" Buffy asked.

"Nothing, so far as I can tell," said Giles. "Why? What has the Doctor said?"

"Basically, something with a lot of 'brilliants' in it that didn't tell me anything," said Buffy. "I don't think he knows. But I think he's got a hunch."

"Well, a hunch isn't very much to go on," said Giles, giving Buffy a kind, fatherly smile. "It could be entirely unrelated."

Buffy gave a small shrug. "I dunno," she said. "The thing about the Doctor is… he's usually pretty good with the hunchiness."


	16. Chapter 16

Martha's World:

Alison stopped, in the middle of the street. Her eyes fixed, ahead, at the remains of the charred building. Her lower lip shaking.

"I… used to get iced cream, there," she said. Looking around, at the rest of the street. At the abandoned houses and torn up walls and busted in doors. "And now… it's…"

It hadn't quite sunk in, before now.

"Gone," Alison breathed. "All gone."

She felt a hand on her arm. Looked down, and saw Seo there, trying to give hope.

Hope?!

"My dad," Alison said, voice trembling. She felt all self-control dropping away, as the full horror of the situation sunk in. "Oh, God. Dad. I'm never going to see him again." She dropped Seo's hand, spun around, her eyes darting from building to building. "All this. It's never going to come back. This isn't just some dream or movie or whatever. This is real! The world's really ended!"

"Alison," said Luke. "You… can't…"

Alison looked back at him. Her eyes wide, terrified.

Luke said nothing.

Alison could see that Luke, himself, was barely keeping it together. That he was only moments away from screaming out at the world that had crumbled around him. Only just managing to fight back that raw, bitter sorrow that had crept over him, now that his mum's death had begun to sink in.

"Martha has a plan," said Seo, quietly. "So do we."

A plan?!

Who cared about plans? Any plan was doomed to fail! Couldn't Seo see that?

Alison's fingers tapped out a rhythm, subconsciously, against her rucksack. They couldn't win against the Master. It was hopeless. They should just surrender.

"Your mum was right — this _isn't_ like Lord of the Rings," said Alison. Her eyes on one of the ripped-up bodies, lying on the streets. The carcass being picked over by stray dogs and animals, starved for food. She shuddered, tapping more frantically. "Because in Lord of the Rings, the good guys won. And we can't. There's no hope. The Master will always win."

Seo caught Alison's hand in hers, stopping the tapping. "He didn't take out Mom," Seo reminded her. "And you know he tried."

Alison froze. Her doubts subsiding, just a titch.

Luke shook his head. "Alison's right," he admitted. "Even if the Doctor does stop the Master, even if we stop the Toclafane — the world's already ended. We've already lost."

"The end of one thing can be the beginning of another," Buffy said, beside them.

Everyone looked at her, a little doubtful.

Buffy looked out at the street. "The First blew up the Watchers' Council," she said, eyes unfocused. "Tried to wipe out the Slayer Line, its traditions and training and teaching. And because of that… the Slayer's stronger than ever. Better than ever." She glanced down at Seo. "Your dad taught me that."

Seo beamed. Her eyes twinkling.

"I've seen 39th century Earth — all unified together, with a central Earth military," said Buffy. "What if this is when it happens? This tragedy, creating world peace?"

"You really think that?" Willow asked, in a low voice.

Buffy's lower lip trembled. "I… have to." She closed her eyes. "It's the only way I can think that the Doctor could make everything good, again."

Alison looked out at the abandoned London streets. Filled with death, destruction, and terror.

What Buffy had said seemed so out of place, here.

But Alison clung to it.

Hope.

Her light through the darkness.

* * *

"So… you're not coming to Scotland?" asked Dawn.

The former residents of Qaqortoq had all reunited, in a secret hiding place they all knew, which was carefully hidden from UFC forces by the surrounding terrain.

"I have to do this, Dawn," said Ria. She cringed, as her arm jostled wrong, again, but managed to hide the pain well. "I can organize a unified, underground resistance movement. But I can't do that while helping you get to Scotland."

Dawn nodded.

It was a very Ria-esque thing to do. Organize everyone across the globe to fight back.

"What if the Toclafane strike?" Vi asked. She looked around themselves. "One Toclafane attack could wipe us all out."

"They won't," Ria assured them all.

"How do you know?" said Phoebe. "Saxon knows we're here. He knows we're a threat. He'll—"

"Because I know human nature," Ria cut in. A smile crept up her face, as her eyes darted towards the sky. "Saxon's ruthless. Shoot-the-messenger kind of guy. That means up on the Valiant, there'll be a huge group of people trying to figure out how to get rid of us without having to report to Saxon that their attack failed."

Xander processed this. "And Saxon — I mean the Master — _he's_ the one in charge of the Toclafane," he realized. "While the second-tier manager guys are the ones in charge of ground troops."

"Exactly," Ria agreed. "We're going to get waves of ground troops, all landing here, in helicopters and ships and things. Then they'll have to figure out where we are, and how to cross the terrain."

Vi looked around them, at the Greenland wilderness. "The Qaqortoq guys are all experts on the local geography," she muttered. "And the UFC troops are going to be trying to navigate with no roads, no easy way to get around, and no idea where we are or what we're planning."

"We can split them up and overpower them," Amanda chimed in.

Ria nodded. "Then steal their transport. Use it to our advantage. Get our agents everywhere. Across the world."

All the Slayers grinned at each other. It seemed like a workable plan.

"If we're organized, strategic, and smart," said Ria, "we can fight back. People are being shipped out to labor camps, throughout the world. We install one of our resistance fighters into a convoy transporting prisoners, and we can take those people somewhere else. Somewhere safe."

"Where are you going, first?" Dawn asked Ria.

"Back to the States," said Ria, not meeting Dawn's eyes, as she stepped a little closer to the fire. "I've got contacts, there. People I can work with, to make this happen."

"You want to find Mark, huh?" said Dawn, a little quieter.

Ria didn't answer.

Dawn came up to Ria, put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure he's fine."

"Of course he is," said Ria, still not willing to meet Dawn's eyes. "He has to be. Just… has to." She shook it off, trying to hide the intense worry and fear under an expression of hard determination. "And, anyways, it's not just him. There are a lot of people out there under my protection. Aliens, demons, Slayers. It's my responsibility to help them." She turned to Dawn. "I swore to help them, no matter what."

Dawn nodded.

"Go to Scotland," Ria said. "Get rid of the Toclafane. Save the world. That's your job." She took in a sharp breath. "My job… is to make sure there's still a world for you to save, when you get there."

Vi stepped forward. "Then I'm coming with you," she told Ria.

"And me," said Amanda, grabbing up a rifle and slinging it over her shoulder.

The other Slayers all gathered around, chiming in their support for the resistance movement, chiming in their support for Ria.

Xander stepped towards Dawn. Put his hand on her shoulder, to show his commitment to her cause. Whatever Dawn needed him to do, he was there.

Kennedy looked between the two groups that were forming. Then marched over to Dawn and Xander. "If Willow's going to Scotland," she said, "I'm going to Scotland."

"And me!" cried Andrew, racing up to them. "It'll be so cool. Like in Star Trek, when—"

"No way are you coming with us," Dawn moaned.

Andrew's jaw dropped. "But… but… I've got stuff you'll need!" he insisted. Swung his backpack off his back, and patted it, fondly. "I've got the full, still-in-the-package Stargate SG-1 survivors' kit in here! I've got…" He began digging through the backpack. Then pulled out a plastic toy. "…an Anti-Prior Device, you know, for disrupting psychic signals! That could be useful!"

Dawn exchanged an exasperated look with Xander.

"…and a Naquahdah generator," said Andrew, pulling out another plastic toy. "And…"

"Do you have anything that could actually help us?" Dawn demanded.

"Like a compass?" Kennedy offered.

Andrew thought a moment. Then pulled out a Wookiee collector's compass. "I've also got a real, sharpened knife with Boba Fett on the blade."

Dawn grinned. "Okay," she said. "I think you just made the cut. Welcome to team Dawn."

Andrew scuttled over to Dawn, Xander, and Kennedy, excited to finally be a real needed part of an alien-fighting task group.

Faith hesitated. Looking between the two groups. Then headed towards Ria.

Ria stopped her.

"Faith," said Ria, in a low voice. "You're the best Slayer I have." Her eyes darted over to Dawn's group. "That's where you belong."

Faith gave an uncomfortable shrug. "Just… want to help," she said. "Save lives. Stop labor camp shipments. Beat up some baddies."

"Dawn has to get to Glasgow," Ria replied. "No matter what." She stepped forward, looking Faith squarely in the eyes. "I'm trusting you to make sure she gets there."

Faith hesitated. Looking at Ria and the Slayers surrounding her. "What you're doing… it's a distraction, huh?" she whispered. "Get Saxon worried about you, not the rest of us?"

Ria gave Faith a half-smile.

Faith stepped back. Understanding, for the first time, exactly what was going on. Exactly why Ria would split on them, turn her back on Dawn and the others.

"I'll do some good, where I can," Ria added, her voice still barely above a whisper. "But there are three groups of people, out there, who'll save the world. And I'm not part of any of them." She glanced down at her broken arm. "I'd be pretty useless, with this, at defending Dawn, anyways."

Faith nodded. Then turned, and headed over to team Dawn.

"Faith!" Ria called out.

Faith turned.

"You make sure she gets there," Ria said. "No matter what."

"Count on me," said Faith.

* * *

There was something odd about the Toclafane.

Least, that was Seo's thought, as she made her way out of London. Something odd about the way they spoke, the way they laughed, even the way they gleefully massacred people.

Martha had said the Master had just made the name 'Toclafane' up.

So what were they, really?

As Seo left London, she heard the Toclafane, chuckling in the distance. Heard them, as they turned and flew overhead, Mom and Willow and the others all racing for cover.

Seo stayed out. Watched. Listened.

"Pretty red," the sphere cooed, pausing by a massacred body. Noticing the blood on the ground. "Soon everyone will be pretty red. Mister Master says so."

"Why?" Seo asked them, before she could stop herself.

The spheres both turned, scanning the area, not seeing Seo. One of them shot out at where Seo's voice had come from, but Seo had expected that, already. And had moved away.

"Invisible lady," said one of the spheres. In a sulky voice, added, "Master doesn't like invisible ladies."

"Why do you want to kill?" Seo asked them, again. She darted away, just before the sphere had time to spin around and blast her to smithereens. "What's the point of destroying the world?"

"It's playtime!" chuckled one of the spheres.

It then fired, again, at the spot where Seo had once been. But hit nothing.

"Mister Master will find you," said the other Sphere. "Mister Master will kill you. Invisible Lady."

Then they giggled. And floated off.

Seo stared out, after them. Her face morphing into shock. As she realized what the Toclafane really were. Why they'd seemed so familiar. What should have been obvious to her, right from the start.

"They're children," Seo breathed. "Misbehaving children."


	17. Chapter 17

Seo's World:

Buffy and Joyce were out at the hospital, giving Joyce a check-up after the whole Buffy's mum collapsing for no apparent reason affair. Which meant the Doctor was alone, on his own, at the Summers' house, watching Seo. Rocking her gently, speaking to her, telling her nursery rhymes and stories and trying to teach her that she shouldn't eat the color blue — no matter how delicious it might seem.

The doorbell rang.

The Doctor answered it, to find a mature woman with bright red hair and a pleasant smile, saying, "Hi, Donna Noble. You haven't, by any chance, seen a sword that doesn't look like…"

She stopped. Stared. Her jaw dropping open.

"Look like what?" the Doctor asked.

"No way!" Donna said.

The Doctor frowned. "Something the matter?"

Instead of answering him, Donna looked over her shoulder, and shouted, "Oi! Spaceman! Get over here!"

In the distance, crouched by the side of the road, a man looked up. A man… wearing a pinstripe suit, trainers, and a tan trench coat.

The toaster in the man's hands exploded.

When the man emerged from the dust and debris of the explosion, the Doctor was certain. Knew it with every fiber of his being.

"But you're…!" the Doctor said.

"Well, this is always embarrassing," said the other, younger Doctor. He hopped up beside Donna. "Terribly sorry. Didn't realize there was another me here, already. You know how it is. Wibbly wobbly and all that. Just looking… for…"

He stopped. As his eyes fixed on the baby in the older Doctor's hands.

"That yours?" the younger asked.

* * *

"So… you're _both_ the Doctor," Donna double checked, when everyone had gotten seated in the living room area. "Except—" She turned to the Doctor with the baby, who was wearing a blue pinstripe suit. "You're older." She turned back to her own Doctor, wearing brown. "And you're younger."

"Yep," both the Doctors said, together.

Donna looked between the two of them. "You. Are. Bonkers!"

"She has a point," said the younger one. "If you've already been me, you should have known I was going to turn up, and made yourself scarce."

"Ah," said the elder. "Small problem. With memory. Lost it, short time back. Been stranded here, ever since."

The younger cocked an eyebrow at him. "Oh," he said, very quietly. A hint of something almost… horrified in his voice. "So… you don't know."

"Don't know what?" the elder Doctor asked.

The younger looked down at the baby with an intense, grave expression on his face. Then back up to the elder Doctor. "That baby. Everyone else think it's natural born?"

The elder Doctor hesitated. "It _is_ natural born," he admitted. Hesitated again. "I think. It's… well, bit hard to explain."

"Sort of popped into existence, without a by your leave?" the younger guessed. "Except, for some reason, _you're_ the only one who remembers it shouldn't be about?"

The elder nodded.

The younger Doctor grumbled something about how he should have seen this coming a mile away.

"What?" Donna demanded. She looked between the two. "What are you two skinny boys on about? Does this have something to do with the sword that isn't a sword?"

The younger Doctor stayed silent. His eyes still fixed, steadily, on that baby.

"Sword that isn't a sword?" asked the elder.

"Don't ask, mate," said Donna, rolling her eyes. "You know how it is. All he ever spouts is rubbish."

The younger Doctor jumped to his feet, racing over to the child. Scanned his sonic along her body, and checked the readings. Then did it again. And again. Then frowned, hit the sonic against his palm.

"She doesn't give off any readings," the elder told him. "Not on the normal settings. Created some special ones, myself. To pick her up, at least a bit."

The younger Doctor peered at the child. Then gave an annoyed sigh, muttering beneath his breath, "thick headed humans, embedding it into her bio-data instead of her DNA. Because one regeneration wouldn't be enough, oh, no! Has to be in all of them."

The elder absorbed this, quietly. Thinking it all through.

"That some sort of fancy-pants way of saying you found the sword, then?" Donna demanded of her younger Doctor.

The younger Doctor stood, a moment longer, staring at the child. Then turned to Donna, a cheerful grin on his face. "Well, time we got going, Donna!" he said. "No need to make this any more paradoxical than it has to be."

"Oi, Spaceman," Donna protested, getting to her feet. "What about this universe-destroying whatsit that we're supposed to find and get rid of?"

"Not important! Future me will take care of it!" the younger Doctor dismissed, ushering Donna out the door. "Meantime — Florana! There's a brilliant planet. What do you say to Florana?"

The elder Doctor caught the younger by his arm, before he could slip out the door.

"The… child," the elder said. "She isn't…" He hesitated. Trying to think of how to state what he'd suspected, but couldn't quite come to terms with. "She isn't really… my…"

The younger looked down at the child. Then back up at the elder. "I am sorry," he said. "I am so, so sorry. But she _really_ _is_ your daughter." He pulled himself free from the elder Doctor. "And if you want this universe and every other one to survive, you're going to have to kill her. For good."

* * *

When Buffy came back, the Doctor didn't mention the meeting to her.

Nor to anyone else.

But it weighed on his mind. Tearing him apart. This baby girl. This beautiful Seosyrae, this impossible child — she _was_ his. Despite every unease he had, every confusion concerning her birth, every anomaly about her… she was still his daughter.

_You're going to have to kill her. For good._

Was that the sort of person he'd been, before Buffy and the Facksisil of Balime and the amnesia? Buffy had assured him that he'd always been a good person. But… there he'd been. The younger him. Full of memories and 900 years of acquired knowledge.

And he was willing to kill a baby girl.

No. No, the Doctor didn't want to be that person, anymore. The one who'd destroyed his own home. The one who was willing to murder children. The one who carried death in his conscience and sorrow in his hearts.

But that didn't answer the big questions. The ones that the Doctor, himself, knew needed to be answered at some point.

The ones younger-him had known the answers to.

Who was Seo, really? Why had she suddenly popped into existence? Who had decided to create the Doctor a daughter, implanted her into Buffy's womb, and then tried to hide their tracks using false memories and fabricated matter?

It wasn't for _his_ benefit. That was obvious.

_You're going to have to kill her_.

But he couldn't help but think… that maybe… just maybe… the reason Seo had been created to be his and Buffy's daughter…

Was so they wouldn't have the heart to get rid of her.


	18. Chapter 18

Martha's World:

"Nope — still no sign of Hiskaloph or any other survivors," UFCA Philips reported to base. "We'll keep combing the area."

"Just find them," said base, hanging up.

UFCA Philips and his men were storming Greenland at night — mainly because command on the Valiant didn't want the Master knowing what they were doing. Were trying to do this operation on the quiet, get rid of Hiskaloph before they had to report to the Master that they'd ever had any trouble with her.

Still. Harder to see people at night. But easier to see their heat signatures.

Philips surveyed his team, around him. The ground troops. Making their way, on foot, across the unpaved, uneven terrain of Greenland. It was cold as hell out here. A far cry from May in the States.

"Still nothing on the heat sensors, sir," said the soldier beside Philips, still looking at the monitors situated in the back of the jeep. The monitors that had been designed at Torchwood, using alien tech. "Whatever they're using to hide from us, there's no way they could fool something as advanced as this."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," came an evil-sounding whisper just behind them.

Philips and the soldier both spun around, just in time to see the vampire-fanged, yellow-eyed man tackle the soldier to the ground, fangs in his throat, biting.

Philips fired.

But the bullets had no effect. Philips spun around, looking frantically at the myriad of vampires that had just surrounded them.

"But… but you're vampires!" Philips said. "Vampires aren't real! They're just—"

"We few vampires heeded the Doctor's warning," said one of the vampires. "Fled before the Great Catastrophe occurred, wiping out our brethren. We few vampires fled here, to the Arctic circle, to feast on wildlife." Its yellow eyes grew hungry. "But Hiskaloph found us. With her Slayers. Told us that a Time Lord had usurped the world. She gave us a choice. And now… we serve Hiskaloph."

Philips heard screams echoing across the landscape, from his men. He fired, frantically, but to no avail. As the last remaining vampires in the world grabbed him up.

And sank their fangs into his throat.

* * *

Dawn hopped into the abandoned jeep, found keys still in the ignition, and the engine still running. Great.

The others all hopped inside, after her. Some in the back, Xander up in front.

"City of Tasiilaq," said Dawn, shifting the jeep into gear, and flooring it. "Ria thinks there are ground forces headed that way. We go there, save people, take out the troops and steal their transport."

"Any chance of our running into Toclafane?" asked Xander, as the car sprung forward, jostling them as it bounced across the terrain.

"Some," said Dawn. "Less, now that Ria's heading for the States. She thinks the Toclafane will be after her."

"Thought Tasiilaq would have been razed to the ground by now," Faith muttered. "Scorched earth policy and all."

"We've been soaking up all the attention, here," said Dawn. "The UFC guys probably haven't had time to get around to Tasiilaq and all the other Greenlandy places out there." She glanced over her shoulder. "Andrew. I need some directions, over here."

"I'm… still fiddling," Andrew said, squatting over his backpack, the Wookiee compass in hand, his face filled with confusion. He shook it. Then shook it, again.

Kennedy rolled her eyes, grabbed the compass from him. "Okay, Dawn. Go—"

Kennedy stopped. Stared. Then shook the compass.

"What?" said Faith.

Kennedy turned on Andrew, anger and vehemence in her eyes. "This is a _toy_!" she shouted. Threw it at him. "It doesn't even work!"

"Yeah, but if you press the button, the Wookiee says 'arooooogh' at you through the speakers," Andrew offered. Then, noticing the others glaring at him, huddled back, a little.

"Did you pack anything that we can actually use?" Kennedy demanded.

Faith snatched up the backpack from him. Turned it over, poured its contents onto the floor. She and Kennedy began sorting through them, chucking items over her shoulder and out the back of the jeep.

"Hey!" Andrew protested, trying to stop her. "Those are valuable collector's items! They're—"

"Andrew, world's ended," Kennedy snapped. She grabbed up a fake plastic SG-1 device, waved it in his face. "This stuff?" She tossed it out of the jeep. "Junk."

Faith stopped. Flicked open one of the knives — nice and sharp, a hunting knife, and definitely not a toy. "Hey," she said. "Don't know why they sold these to kids, but… this could be good gear."

"Just don't damage the blade, okay?" said Andrew. "I still want to see Boba Fett."

Xander turned, in his seat, looking back at them through the parted canvas separating the two parts of the jeep. "Why'd you bring the collector's items to England, anyways?" Xander asked.

"I wanted to show the aliens we weren't pushovers," Andrew replied, pumping out his chest.

"Yeah, because the Master's going to be _real_ impressed when we show up with a plastic sci-fi toy," Dawn muttered, clutching the steering wheel a little tighter. "That makes total sense, Andrew."

A sudden lurch of the car, and a hissing sound, as Dawn struggled to get it under control. She swore, as she stopped. Shoved the car into park.

"Flat tire," she said, climbing out.

"You're joking," said Kennedy. She collapsed back in the jeep. "End of the world. Toclafane and UFC forces and an evil insane Time Lord. And we're stopped because of a flat tire!"

"I'll fix it," said Dawn. "Don't…"

Then she trailed off. Spun around, as she heard the sounds of snarls and growls, nearby. She looked up, and made out the gleam of wolfish eyes, in the darkness. The movement of dog-like animals, racing forwards.

Oh, no.

With the perception filter, no one could see her.

But wolves… operated by smell.

"Wolves," Dawn squeaked, darting back into the car. Screw flat tire, she'd ride on the rim if she had to. She threw the car into drive, and floored it.

The wolves howled, advancing on them. Leaping forwards, catching up, as the jeep bounced and lurched and juddered its way forwards. Dawn struggled to keep control of the jeep, as the other tires blew, and the jeep began jerking out of control.

A wolf managed to dive right into the back of the jeep, Faith just barely managing to roll out of the way, then tackle it to the ground, knife plunged into its gut.

Then a loud, "Shit!" from Dawn, as the car lost all traction, and began to roll…

* * *

Faith didn't realize she'd blacked out until she found herself coming to. The sky was light, now. The sun just emerging, across the horizon.

The jeep was in flames, not far away.

Miracle was, everyone seemed basically okay. Cut up, bruised, Xander with a wolf-bite mark on his upper arm, and Kennedy wincing every time she took a step. But still. Could have been a lot worse.

"How'd that get in flames," said Faith, pointing at the jeep, "while we wound up fine?"

"It didn't burst into flames the moment we crashed," Dawn sighed. "We got everyone clear and then I lit it on fire." She raised up a box of SG-1 collectible matches. "Turns out… Andrew did have some useful stuff with him."

Faith analyzed Andrew, carefully. "Anything else you got that we don't know about?"

Andrew put his hands into his pockets, edging back. "No…"

Kennedy threw back her head, annoyed.

"I just don't want them to get ruined," Andrew insisted. "They're mine. And special."

Yeah. Great.

Whoever decided Andrew should come to England with them deserved a good thumping.

"We've also," said Kennedy, raising up the compass, "got a working compass."

"Working?" said Faith.

Kennedy shrugged. "I magnetized the needle," she said. "It wasn't like it was that hard. High school level physics pays off."

Xander shoved his hands into his pockets. "One time, in my life," he muttered, "when listening in high school science class might actually have done something."

"Hey, you guys turned my high school into a giant crater," Dawn pointed out. "I've got an excuse."

Faith shook out her legs, and looked off into the horizon. At the verdant green grass of Greenland, the scattered rocks and uneven terrain.

"Tasiilaq," she muttered.

A city she never even knew existed, a week ago. And now, it was the one sight she wanted to see more than anything else.

All the way across Greenland. On foot. With just a Wookiee compass for navigation.

"Long as we're all five by five," Faith muttered.


	19. Chapter 19

Martha's World:

The journey to banish the Toclafane very clearly got easier to deal with, emotionally, Buffy knew, when they finally made it out of London, and intersected with the M25.

The abandoned, forlorn-looking M25. Car and traffic free, as far as they could see.

"We can take the M25 to the A1," Seo proposed. "That'll lead us north."

Willow shook her head. "Following roads — bad idea," she said. "We'd be sitting ducks for any UFC convoy passing by."

Buffy nodded, then quickly led them all away from the main road. Darted, instead, into an abandoned field of farmland, her eyes constantly peeled for cover.

"Out here, it doesn't look as bad," Alison muttered. Glancing at their surroundings. "I can almost believe… we're just… heroes, struggling against an evil, magical foe. Like the Fellowship. I can almost believe… we might actually win."

Luke didn't say anything. He was very clearly still trying to pull himself out of the emotional breakdown that had overtaken him, just a few hours ago, as he'd woken up and realized that he was never going to see his mother, again.

Alison took his hand in hers. Squeezed it.

She'd been the one to talk him down, earlier.

"Of course we'll win," said Buffy, still looking for cover. "If we can avoid the Toclafane, getting there."

"They just… don't know any better," Seo muttered.

Willow gritted her teeth. "Not this, again."

Buffy spotted a small house, up ahead, at the end of the field. Cover.

"That way!" Buffy said, urging them on.

Then the roar of a distant engine swept through the air, towards them. They turned, glancing back at the road, in unison. Knowing… the only vehicles still left… the only people still driving… were…

"UFC!" whispered Alison.

"Run!" Buffy cried, as they all belted for cover, fast as they could. But not fast enough, as the UFC truck pulled over, and the sound of gunshots pierced the air around them.

They scattered.

Buffy throwing herself against the ground, rolling out of the way, Willow doing the same beside her. Alison and Luke rushing off, as a group of UFC troops began to chase them, heading for woodland a short ways away. Seo… was with them. Had to be.

Willow grabbed Buffy by the wrist, dragged her into some overgrown crops, the two of them scuttling through the long wheat-looking-things, hoping the troops wouldn't notice.

The shooting stopped.

"Come in, again," said one of the UFC troops.

He paused, listening.

"Roger that," said the UFCA, nodding. He gestured at the others. "Jones spotted, west of here. Valiant wants us to find her, round her up."

"And these fugitives?" said another UFC troop member.

"Toclafane'll get 'em," said the first UFCA.

And as the UFC troops drove off, Buffy turned her eyes to the sky. Watching, with dread, as a cluster of Toclafane zoomed towards them.

"I see you!" said one of the spheres, zeroing in on Willow and Buffy. It giggled, then dropped down.

Buffy and Willow jumped to their feet. And ran for their lives.

* * *

"Toclafane!" Alison whispered, as she watched them descend. She grabbed Luke, dragged him back into the woodland, hoping the Toclafane wouldn't be able to find them, in there.

"Scared little people," said one of the spheres. "Trying to run and hide."

"Coming to find you!" sing-songed another, swooping down. Then, with a shot of its weapon, it struck one of the trees near Alison, the leaves and trunk igniting in an instant. "Coming to burn you!"

Alison felt herself yanked down, against the ground, by Luke, who offered her a handkerchief. "Carbon monoxide poisoning."

Oh, right.

Alison took it, held it against her mouth, trying to figure out how she was supposed to get out of here, before burning to death, and still not let the Toclafane find her.

Moment they left this woodland, the Toclafane would be waiting to cut them down. That was clear.

"Phone," Alison muttered.

Luke coughed, struggling to breathe, as the conflagration spread around them, amplified by occasional blasts from Toclafane weaponry. Flames lapped at trees and consuming branches.

Alison just barely managed to yank Luke out of the way of a falling branch, in flames, collapsing onto the ground beside them.

Then brought out her mobile from her pocket.

"You're clever," said Alison, thrusting the phone into Luke's hands. "If Archangel's more than just a phone network, it should be able to scramble the Toclafane's circuits."

Luke coughed, even harder, and Alison thrust the handkerchief in front of his mouth, so he could breathe.

The air burned her lungs.

Luke fumbled with Alison's mobile. His brain working overtime, as he tried to figure out some way to hack into the Archangel network. Tried to find some backdoor, some entry point. But… no. No luck. Archangel was hack-proof — everyone knew that.

But what if…?

Luke grinned. Struck the phone against a rock, pried the casing open, adjusted some things inside. Then put it all back together, and jumped to his feet, dragging Alison after him, as he pressed the green call button.

Pointing the phone straight at the Toclafane, while emerging from the woodlands.

The Toclafane twirled round and round and round, out of control, their chorus of shrieks and confusion ringing through the air, as they ascended into the heavens, and raced away.

Alison and Luke stepped out into the open, gasping for breath.

"What… what did you…?" Alison asked.

"I made your mobile send out an American frequency, but still use the British encoding functions," said Luke. "The confusion temporarily scrambled the Toclafane's functions."

"Temporarily?" asked Alison.

Luke grimaced.

Alison glanced out, across the field, trying to find any signs of Buffy, Willow, and Seo. Then spotted a cluster of Toclafane, shooting and chasing someone.

"Better make the most of it while we can," Alison said, as she and Luke darted forwards to save the others.

* * *

Buffy and Willow had been cornered by the Toclafane, when Alison and Luke suddenly raced towards them, raised up a cell phone, and scared the Toclafane off. Buffy stared at the two.

"What… what did you…?" Buffy spluttered.

Buffy had gotten off lightly. The Toclafane had sliced up Buffy with their knives and things, but they'd been taking their time. Hadn't cut too deep, yet.

They'd cut Willow a lot deeper.

"We used the Archangel network against them," said Alison, helping Willow to sit down, ripping makeshift bandages from the bottom of her shirt. "Luke had the idea."

"Alison," Luke corrected.

Buffy snatched the cell phone out of their hands, looking it over. Then smashed it against the side of the building, hard enough that it broke into a shower of pieces and electronics.

"Wait!" shouted Luke. "You can't—"

Buffy turned on him. "I've got no idea how the Doctor's plan is supposed to work," she said. "But Seo says it involves the Archangel Network. And that means we never, _ever_ use the Archangel Network to our advantage. You got that?"

Alison and Luke exchanged a nervous glance.

"We _don't_ compromise the Doctor's plan," Buffy said. Her voice shaking, a little, as the words left her mouth. "No matter what."

Willow looked over at Buffy, through pain-filled eyes. "You really believe in him," she whispered.

Buffy clenched her fists. Eyes squeezed shut. "Always."

Buffy knew. If she just gave the Doctor the starting blocks — banished the Toclafane from Earth — then Martha could put her plan into action. And then…

The Doctor would make it better, again.

Had to.

Alison looked down at the ground. "I believe like that," she whispered. "In Seo."

Luke peered at the area around them. "Where _is_ Seo?"

* * *

The others hadn't spotted the man who came out of the farmhouse. The one who'd seen the Toclafane, and run for his life.

Seo had.

Had raced after him, tried get him out of the way of the Toclafane blasts. And nearly succeeded. Nearly gotten him over the hill and into a ditch where he could hide.

Less than a meter away, he screamed. And his body exploded into nothing.

"No!" Seo shouted, turning on the Toclafane.

The Toclafane circled, curious, their childlike voices all overlapping, with giggles and chants and excitement.

"—invisible lady—"

"—bad lady—"

"—not nice to Mister Master—"

"—want to hurt—"

"—want to kill—"

Seo spun out of the way of their next few shots. If she just kept weaving and darting and dodging enough, she could keep them off their guard. They couldn't see her, after all. Only knew where she was based on the sound of her voice.

"Look at what you did!" Seo demanded, pointing at the spot where the farmer had once been, despite the fact that they couldn't see her. "You've all been very naughty. And I am _extremely_ disappointed in you."

For a few moments, the Toclafane just hovered there. Not saying anything.

"Invisible lady is stupid," said one of the spheres.

"We don't care what invisible lady thinks," said another.

"Mister Master likes us!" said a third. "Mister Master thinks it's good."

"Mister Master saved us," said another Toclafane. "We love our Mister Master."

Seo paused a moment, her eyes studying them, curiously. "You do what he tells you," she confirmed, "because he saved you?"

"The Master came in his wonderful machine," said one of the Toclafane, blasting at Seo's spot. Seo just barely managed to get out of the way in time. "To rescue us."

"Now it's always playtime!" said another.

Seo gave an involuntary laugh. "Just because he rescued you doesn't mean you have to do what he says," she told them. Remembering her own childhood, a grin spreading across her face. "Dad saved me — from the end of the universe. And I rebelled against him all the time."

The Toclafane really did pause, now. Paused for a lot longer. Thinking this all through.

"Invisible lady… comes from Utopia?" asked one of the spheres.

Utopia?

"No, it… wasn't a utopia," said Seo. "Not at all." She shuddered, recalling her earliest memory. "It was… the end. The nothingness. Everything falling apart. I could feel it." Her voice shook. "No more sky. No more sun. No more anything."

The Toclafane didn't answer.

Seo put herself back together. "But then… Dad came," Seo said. "Rescued me. Brought me to a new world. Brought me…" She glanced at the world around her. "Home."

"You're like us!" chirruped one of the Toclafane.

The others broke out with surprised affirmations. Swooping through the air, curious, as if trying to see Seo, even just once.

Seo stood very still. Mustering her nerves, as the Toclafane surrounded her.

"Yes," Seo told them. "I'm like you. But I learned. People are a privilege. The world is a privilege." Her eyes narrowed, her voice grew dark. Bitter. Angry. "And if you can't play nicely with them, I'm going to have to take them away from you."

The Toclafane all whined out, in unison, firing randomly.

Seo ducked, rolled across the grass, sprung to her feet, and leapt away from them.

"Not fair!" the Toclafane shouted, swirling through the air in what could only be described as the floating-sphere equivalent of a temper tantrum. "Not fair! Not fair! Not fair!"

"Don't want to go back!" shouted one sphere. "Don't want the dark!"

"Mean lady!" shouted another spheres.

"Stupid lady!" shouted yet another.

"We're telling!" they all cried, in unison. "We're telling on you!"

Then, as a group, they zipped through the clouds. And vanished from sight.

Seo stared after them. A little shocked at what had just happened. Then a small smile appeared on her lips, a short laugh passing through her.

"They listened to me," she realized. Looked down at her hands. "They actually—!"

At which point Seo was tackled and dragged off by a seriously panicked Mom, who had clearly only just managed to be held back by Alison and Luke, while Seo had been talking to the Toclafane.

"Don't you _ever_ do that _again_!" Mom snapped.

Seo struggled to extract herself from Mom's grip. "But they listened," Seo explained. "Mom, they're like I was. Children, destroying the world because they're bored and don't know any better. I know how they feel!"

"They're killing people, Seo," Alison snapped. Took a breath that shook with bitter anger. "They killed my dad."

"My mum," Luke added.

"Don't you see? They're _nothing_ like you!" Alison concluded.

Seo finally managed to squirm out of Buffy's grasp. Popped up, facing Luke and Alison, a sad smile touching her lips. She opened her mouth to speak, then stopped.

No.

They wouldn't understand.

Wouldn't understand what it felt like, being a powerful child who had no idea of consequences or the value of life. Wouldn't understand what Dad had done, when Seo was young and didn't realize that the world was something to be saved, and lives were something to be valued.

It had been a simulated world, of course. Its people all imagined projections originating in her own mind. But Seo hadn't known that, when it happened.

She'd thought she was breaking out of the Axis. She'd thought it was the real world.

And she'd destroyed it.

For no reason.

Only realizing… after days turned to weeks turned to months… that the world wasn't coming back. That the fun part wasn't destroying the world — but enjoying it. Only realizing, after it was too late, that she'd had everything, once. And turned it back into the nothing she came from.

The Toclafane would do that. And wouldn't realize, until it was too late.

"But they _are_ ," Seo insisted.

Mom buried her head in her hands. "She believes she's just like the metal balls who want to kill everyone," she muttered. "Some mom you turned out to be, Buffy."

"No, I meant…" Seo started. Then stopped. Paused. As she noticed there was someone missing from their party. She spun around. "Where's Willow?"

Alison grimaced. "Alive," she said.

Seo's eyes went wide, a sinking feeling in her chest. "Alive where?!"


	20. Chapter 20

Seo's World:

Giles and Anya were staying late at the Magic Box, which had only just opened for business a week or two ago. To enormous success. Now, Giles and Anya were sorting through their new inventory, which had just come in, the previous night.

There was the usual, of course. Newt eyeballs, lizard tongues, orbs and spheres and the like. A few trinkets and tokens that Giles had thought might be nice for the more touristy shoppers.

And then… well, Giles certainly didn't recall ordering _this_ box…

He opened it. To discover it was stuffed full of books. No, not books. Just a very large number of copies of a single book.

Giles took the book out of the box, squinting at the title. "Anya," he called. Waved the book at her. "Did you buy this?"

Anya's eyes lit up, the moment she saw it. "Oh, good, they came!" she said, rushing over. "We're gonna sell a ton of these."

Giles shifted uneasily on his feet. " _101 Ways To Collect Time Lord Blood_ ," he said, reading the cover. " _An easy, step-by-step guide to using the last Time Lord as your own, personal blood farm_." He looked back at Anya. "Anya, we can't sell this."

"What are you talking about?" said Anya, already getting copies out to put on the shelves. "We've got a Time Lord wandering around here, 24/7! That's, like, free advertising. Every vampire in Sunnydale is gonna want to buy a copy."

Giles flipped through the book. Growing more and more uncomfortable, the further he read.

"And… think of it this way!" Anya chirped. "We put out the book. Vampires see the Doctor floating around. Come in here. Buy a copy. Make us lots of money. And then Buffy can take notes on who buys the books, track them down after we close up shop, and kill them." She grinned. "It's the perfect money-making opportunity!"

"What?" cried Giles. He noticed the books in Anya's arms, and grabbed them away. "No! No, we are _not_ selling a how-to guide explaining, in disturbingly explicit detail, how to torture Buffy's boyfriendish!" He threw the books down into the box. "End of discussion!"

"Oh, come on, they're not that bad," said Anya.

"Not that…!" Giles grabbed up one of the books, opened it. "How to Tether Your Time Lord so He Doesn't Escape." Flip. "How to Brand Your Time Lord in Case He Does!" Flip. "How Much Can I Allow My Time Lord to Suffer Without Risking Regeneration?!"

"Well, that's… the free market!" Anya offered. "Consumerism. You can't stand in the way of progress."

"It speaks of the Doctor as if he's a mere animal!" Giles continued, turning the pages with increasing alarm. "How Much Blood Can I Safely Harvest from my Time Lord?" Flip. "What Should His Feedings Schedule Be Like?" Flip. "Can I Breed My Time Lord in Order to Increase My Blood Supply?"

Giles froze. The page open in his hands.

"Yeah?" said Anya. "What's wrong about that? It's not like the Doctor's stupid enough to fall for any of this stuff. He'd get out of it in about two seconds."

But Giles wasn't listening to her, anymore. Because his eyes were fixed on the page, staring at the words… and he couldn't quite believe…

"I mean, there are tons of books like this, out there," said Anya. "They've been written for thousands of years. And the Doctor's fine. So I'm just saying… if we've got the market, why not sell to it?"

Giles looked up at her. Feeling severely shaken.

"No," he said. "No, we… certainly… aren't selling any of these books. In fact, I think we should do everything in our power to stop such literature from ever being published in the first place." His hands shook around the spine of the book. "Now… if you'll… excuse me, a second."

He darted into the back office, slamming the door shut behind him.

With an urgency that gripped his heart, he grabbed for the phone. Pounded in the number he knew by heart. Waited as the phone rang… once… twice… three times…

"Hello?" came Buffy's voice.

"The child," said Giles. "Seo. Where is she?"

"Sleeping, thank God," said Buffy.

"But with you?" Giles checked.

"In the next room over, yeah. Why? Did you find out something about that glowing orb thing?"

"Buffy," said Giles, very softly. "Stay away from that baby."

For a moment, there was silence.

Then, "Huh?"

"The Doctor was right," said Giles. "She isn't his child. She can't be his child. He didn't remember why, but… he was right!"

"Oh, come on!" said Buffy. "First him, and now you? I know she's his daughter. I'm positive. I—"

"Buffy, Time Lords are sterile," Giles interrupted. He looked down at the book. "That's why it can't be his. Because that isn't how they reproduced."

Buffy said nothing.

Giles tucked the receiver under his ear, following along in the book as he read it to her. "It says… here… 'Time Lords have been sterile since the Plague of Pythia. Legend has it that they reproduced asexually, using a process of genetic engineering that has been lost to time.'"

Still no answer from Buffy on the other end.

"I don't know who or what that child is," said Giles. "But the Doctor's right. Someone's been playing a trick on us. Trying to get us to believe that child is actually your own."

"The Doctor told me my memories…" Buffy hesitated. "The last nine months, Giles. Everything he said… did…"

"Never actually happened," Giles confirmed. "Can't possibly have happened. Whoever sent you that baby knew the Doctor would be suspicious. They purposely tried to discredit him."

Just like the Doctor had said.

And they'd all been such fools not to believe him.

Buffy, when she next spoke, did so in a whisper. "I _knew_ there was something weird about that!" she said. "It was so… not him! Just, everything was so…" Then she stopped. "Oh, God. How am I gonna tell him?"

"Don't, for the moment," Giles urged her. "We don't want to attract any more attention to this than we have to, until we work out what's really going on. After all, if the Dagon's Sphere is involved, we're dealing with… some… primordial evil!"

"Seo?" Buffy breathed.

"Perhaps," said Giles. "It's… likely, I suppose. I… well, I honestly don't know."

All he did know was that… whoever or whatever Buffy had given birth to… it was made to look like her and the Doctor's child. But wasn't.

"Okay, okay!" said Buffy. "I'll go all mega-investigator on this, then check back with you. Got it?"

"Got it."

* * *

"Mom," said Buffy, shoving on her coat as she raced down the stairs, "keep an eye on Seo. Doctor," turning to him, when she reached the bottom. "Keep an eye on Mom."

Then she was off.

Trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Trying to find some clue. Something out of the ordinary, that's what the Doctor always looked for when he went on wild goose chases like this. Something she'd noticed, recently, that had seemed… a little weird.

"Well, there are the crazies," Buffy muttered to herself.

She remembered the crazies, from Mom's last check-up at the hospital. She'd met that medical intern, Ben Wilkinson, again, and he'd been wheeling in this patient, who was writhing and shouting and ranting. And… they'd said something about… 'another one'. Kind of… dismissively. Like this kind of thing was happening all the time around Sunnydale, these days.

And then… there was that day, when Buffy had taken Seo to the park, and that crazy guy had come up to them, and started shouting at Buffy that there was, "Nothing there!" and then starting in about how, "Death has come; death for all!"

Buffy heard movement to her right. Behind the tree. She sprung at it, grabbing it up, to discover…

"Spike?" Buffy asked.

He looked a little dopey. Cigarette falling out of his hand, onto the ground. "Hi, Buffy."

Oh, Buffy so didn't have time for this. "Look, I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but..." Giving him a warning glare, "what are you doing here?"

Spike opened his mouth to answer, but Buffy cut in, first.

"Five words or less," she said.

Spike thought a moment, then counted the words on his hand, as he spoke. "Out. For. A. Walk." He paused. Then, added, "Bitch."

"Outside my house," said Buffy. "At night." She sighed, pushing him away. " _Really_ don't have time for this."

"On your merry way, then," Spike said. "Contrary to one self-involved world view, your house happens to be directly between..." He hesitated, fishing for words, "…parts… and other... parts of this town." Content with this answer, he went on. "I'm just passing through. Satisfied? I really do hope so because God knows you need some satisfaction in life besides failing to shag Time Twit and changing baby diapers, and I never really liked you anyway, and… and… and your hair looks stupid."

And, without any further explanation, Spike turned around. And left.

Buffy stared after him. Uh-huh. Right. Whatever.

She headed off to resume her investigation.

* * *

The last crazy guy Buffy had seen, at the hospital, had been found by an abandoned warehouse. Apparently, he used to be the night watchman, there.

So Buffy figured abandoned warehouses would be a good place to start.

Most of them still had their night watchmen. But one was conveniently night-watchman free. And… more interesting, still…

Lying on the ground by the gate, Buffy discovered another Dagon's Sphere.

She picked it up. Shoved it into her jacket pocket. Then, with only a quick glance around herself, to make sure no one was watching, forced the locked warehouse gates open.

A muffled scream, from the second floor of the warehouse.

Buffy looked up, her face settling into a frown. People in trouble. Sounded like Buffy-time.

She bolted into the building.

* * *

It was dark.

An abandoned factory floor, the sound of a rat scuttling off in the distance. Buffy took out her flashlight, shining it around. Cement pillars. Stained walls. And…

Buffy rushed over, as she caught sight of the man tied to a chair. Duct-tape over his mouth. He looked beat-up, bloody. In obvious pain.

And wearing a brown monk's robe.

Buffy scrambled to undo the ropes. "Hey. It was you, planted the things, the... Dagon's Spheres, right? I have them. I can help."

He peered into her eyes. Looking terrified.

"I've got experience with stuff like this," said Buffy, managing to get through the ropes. "And I'm stronger than I look. And… best of all…"

Without looking, Buffy reached back and grabbed the whoever-it-was sneaking up on her, hands around the person's throat.

"I'm not stupid," Buffy said, with contained fury, whirling around to face whoever-it-was.

A woman with curly blond hair and a red dress. Looking at Buffy with only mild curiosity.

Then, as if she was just brushing away a fly, the woman plucked away Buffy's stone-grip from her throat. The hints of a smile settling on her lips.

Then backhanded Buffy across the face.

The impact slammed into Buffy, throwing her twenty feet across the room. Her body smashing against the far wall, cement scraping across her arms and legs as she sunk into it, before dropping to the ground.

Her head spinning.

"You sure about that last part?" said Red Dress Lady.


	21. Chapter 21

Martha's World:

"So, one of yours, then," said the Master, crouching down by the withered, aged Doctor, chained to his wheelchair. The Master grinned, musing over the name. "Ria… Hiskaloph."

The Doctor didn't answer. Just looked away.

The Master could see the bitter pain in his eyes. The worry and fear digging through him.

"Ria Maria Hiskaloph," the Master repeated. He looked over at the underling who'd brought him news of Hiskaloph's rebellion — now lying dead on the floor. "Better send the Toclafane after her. She won't last long."

"Leave her alone," the Doctor said, very softly.

"Ooh, is that you begging?" the Master cried, nearly leaping with excitement. He spun the Doctor's wheelchair so it skittered across the floor. "Who would have thought I'd see the day! The Mighty, All Powerful Doctor. Reduced to begging. Who would have thought?" His grin widened. "Oh, that's right! Me!"

The wheelchair toppled.

But somehow remained upright.

The Doctor still said nothing. Just stared at the ground, being Mr. Grumpy-Pants again.

From the other end of the room, Francine Jones walked in. Her eyes glaring at the Master, murderous and biting.

The Master waved his hand at the dead body on the floor. "Clean up that rubbish, would you? It's making a mess of the décor."

Francine said nothing, just trudged over to the body, holding her breath so she didn't have to smell the burnt flesh from the hit of the Master's laser screwdriver, as she removed the corpse from the room.

"And as for your… Ria Hiskaloph," said the Master, turning back to the Doctor. "Once my little children are through with her, she'll be—"

The sound of a whining, moaning, bitterly upset crowd of Toclafane broke through the air, as the metal spheres drifted into the room. Bobbing up and down, sulking, their voices overlapping in a wave of complaining.

"Not fair!" they cried. "Not fair! Don't want to go back!"

The Master's cheer dropped, a bit. "Who said anything about sending you back?"

"Mean Lady," said one of the spheres.

"Mean Lady told us not to destroy," added another.

"Mean Lady told us not to kill," added a third. "Or she'd send us back."

The Master sighed. "And you didn't just… oh, I don't know… kill _her_?!"

"Mean Lady is invisible," said one of the spheres.

"Can't kill Mean Lady," said a third. "Tried. Didn't work."

The Master's eyes fixed squarely on the Doctor. As this all began to make sense. Invisible, was she? "Well, well," said the Master. "Seems your companion's been making her presence known. Martha — the would-be-Doctor. Trying to fix all my little children." He leaned down, in front of the wheelchair, so he could look straight into the Doctor's eyes. "You should know by now, Doctor. Can't fix everyone. Can't fix them — same way you can't fix me."

"I _can_ help you," the Doctor said, his voice very quiet.

The Master groaned, kicked the wheelchair away from him so it slammed against the back wall. Turned to the Toclafane.

"Don't worry about the Mean Lady," the Master assured them. "I'll deal with her, soon enough."

This seemed to cheer the Toclafane up, immensely.

"Will you make her pretty?" asked one of the spheres. "Like you made us pretty?"

"Will you fly her away?" asked another.

The Master's cheer fell, once more. As he struggled to work out what they could possibly be going on about, now.

"Mean Lady's one of us," said the spheres.

"One of us!" chanted the others.

The Master stared at them all. Then turned to the Doctor, who seemed equally at a loss. No answers there, then.

The Master planted a smile on his face. "Tell you what, kids?" he said, clapping his hands. "How about, just to cheer you up, I give you a little assignment? Playtime!"

The Toclafane cheered.

"All you have to do," said the Master, "is find me Ria Hiskaloph. Kill everyone around her. But I want _her_ alive." His eyes darting over to the Doctor. "It's time to teach my pet a lesson about defying his Master."

"Hurray!" shouted the Toclafane, zipping out of the room.

The Doctor opened his mouth to speak. Then stopped. Hesitated. "What… are they?" he whispered, his eyes drifting after the Toclafane.

"That depends," the Master challenged. "Who's the 'invisible girl'?"

The Doctor didn't answer.

"Well," said the Master, turning to head down to the bowels of the Valiant. Killing the freak might make him feel better. "You'll just have to keep guessing, then."

* * *

The UFC troops swarming Long Island had gone door to door, searching and dragging out any survivors. Toclafane, around them, were giggling, supervising, making sure no one disobeyed.

The New Yorkers had tried to fight back. Resist. They'd blown up every bridge leading to the island. Caved in the tunnels. Armed themselves, and attempted to push back the UFC forces from their homes.

But the UFC had won, in the end.

Dragging the survivors of the human race onto boats, heading for the mainland. Warning them not to resist, not to fight back.

"What's there to fight for?" one man said, staring at the bedraggled survivors, around him. The ruins of his home. "The world's dead, anyways. Saxon's won."

The man was shot.

"He's not Harold Saxon," said the UFCA that had shot him. "He's 'the Master'. That's what you call him. And you will obey your Master in all things."

The survivors on the boat huddled together. Trying not to make waves. Not to fight back. Just trying to survive. And the UFC troopers accompanying the boat all grinned, and retreated into their cabins.

Where they came face-to-face with a group of armed men and women, in UFC garb. All pointing guns at their heads.

"He's not _our_ Master," said the leader of the group, stepping forward. There was an ugly scar down the side of her face, and her arm was in a sling. But she looked as fierce as any warrior they'd ever seen.

They all knew her. From the briefings they'd been given.

This was Ria Hiskaloph.

"Your mission's failed," Hiskaloph said. "This boat's not on the way to the labor camps. It's on its way to a refugee safe haven. You report us to Saxon, and he'll kill you on the spot for failing to eliminate me." She gestured at the people around her. "You join us… and you get to live."

One of the UFCA men raised up his rifle. "Eliminate you, and I get a promotion," he said, aiming at Hiskaloph.

But before he could shoot her, the gun was jerked from his hand by a gigantic monster, standing just behind him. A massive demon, its face in a snarl, its eyes cold and calculating.

The UFC agents turned. And discovered they were surrounded by demons and monsters, on all sides.

"Meet my allies," Hiskaloph told the UFC agents.

* * *

"That's the problem," said ADC Victor, slumping into his chair, on the command center of the Valiant. "Hiskaloph _isn't_ killing our agents. She's using their fear of the Master against him. They know the Master will kill them if they fail. They'd rather side with her than take chances with his temper."

"The Toclafane haven't found her, yet?" asked one of the staff members.

"No," ADC Victor answered. "She's been keeping too well hidden. Too much on the move. The Toclafane can slice down a population, but — looks like they can't outthink her."

"Her main operation is diverting labor camp shipments," ADC Dexter cut in, studying a file. "Her own agents sneak onboard, posing either as staff or as passengers, then they hijack the boat or lorry and redirect it somewhere else."

The operations manager groaned. "Depleting the labor force. Holding up work on the rockets," he muttered. "The Master's going to be furious."

"He's already furious," said ADC Victor. "Hiskaloph's been uniting humanity under the slogan, 'He is not _our_ Master!' And spreading the message that Martha Jones will save the world. The Master _hates_ that." He put a small smile on his face. "But I think… I know how to get the Master to direct his rage at someone else, besides us."

Everyone looked at ADC Victor, hopefully.

"How?!" they cried.

"Easy," said ADC Victor. "We know Hiskaloph has a connection to the Doctor. And we know the Master's suspicious that the Doctor and Martha Jones have a plan. All we have to do is tell the Master… that the Doctor's behind everything Hiskaloph's doing. That way… _the Doctor_ will get it in the neck. Not us."

* * *

"You know, when they said 'first class service onboard the Valiant', this wasn't what I had in mind," Jack mused, as Tish spoon fed him his typical meal of cold mashed swede.

Tish said nothing. Didn't even meet his eyes.

"Although, got to say," said Jack, "three days in a row with no one killing me. That's a real perk. Best running streak, so far." Then, in a much, much softer voice, "How bad is it?"

Tish looked up. Met Jack's eyes.

Jack knew, by now. When the Master wasn't going after Jack… it was only because he was focusing his destructive rage somewhere else.

"Bad," Tish whispered, back.

Okay. Not somewhere else. On some _one_ else.

"The ADCs couldn't stop a rebellion down on Earth," said Tish. "They knew they'd get shot, if they reported it. So they blamed it on…"

She didn't need to go on.

"Can't rough him up too much," Jack said. More to reassure himself, than Tish. "Now that he's aged a hundred years."

"The Master knows exactly how far he can go," Tish muttered. "And he goes there."

She turned to leave, the mashed swede finished. UFC guards flanking her, prepared for anything.

"Hey, Tish!" shouted Jack, after her.

Tish glanced back, over her shoulder.

"See if you can't get the Master to take a few pot-shots at me, instead, huh?" said Jack, with a wink.

Tish didn't answer. Just turned, and went back to her life of servitude. Both Jack and she knew… when the Master was in one of these moods… they could try all they wanted. But, in the end, there was nothing either of them could do to stop it.


	22. Chapter 22

Seo's World:

"…and another thing I want you to know," said Red Dress Lady, grabbing Buffy by the wrist and slamming her into one of the cement columns. "This whole 'beating you to death' thing I'm doing..." Another shove, right into the floor. "…it's valuable time out of life that I'm never getting back."

Buffy rolled to her feet, and head-butted the lady.

She stumbled back, suddenly in tears, holding her face. "You… _hit me_!" She looked up at Buffy, almost offended. "What are you, crazy?!"

Buffy pressed her attack. Striking out. Hitting. Punching. Red Dress Lady staggering back a little at each blow. But not seeming all that affected by it.

Except for her not shutting up.

"You can't go around hitting people," Red Dress Lady, as Buffy kicked her, again. "What were you, raised in a barn?" Another punch to Red Dress Lady's torso. "There's such a thing as manners, you know…" A spinning kick to her side. "…and while we're on the subject, I gotta ask, Blabberina — do you ever shut up?"

Buffy went in for the killing blow, but Red Dress Lady caught her fist with no effort.

"Hey, I just noticed something," said Red Dress Lady. "You've got superpowers!"

She struck out at Buffy, who dodged her fist. Red Dress Lady punched straight through the cement pillar… as if it were made out of Styrofoam.

Who _was_ this?

"That is so cool!" said Red Dress Lady, with a deranged smile, as she caught up Buffy and lifted her off her feet. "Can you fly?"

Then tossed Buffy across the room, so she skittered across the floor.

And landed right beside the restrained monk.

Buffy looked between the two. Monk? Crazy Strong Red Dress Lady? Monk? Crazy Strong Red Dress Lady?

Monk.

She grabbed him up in her arms, and ran straight for the window at the far end of the room.

"Hey!" shouted Red Dress Lady. "Hey! Hands off my holy man!"

But Buffy didn't pay attention, as she leapt and crashed through the glass, tumbling through the air, Monk in hands, rolling against the ground as she landed, outside.

Behind them, Buffy could hear a shout of anger from Red Dress Lady, and then… the booming impact of the entire warehouse crashing down into a heap of rubble.

Buffy un-gagged the Monk, helped him to his feet, trying to support him, get him to safety.

He stumbled. "Stop. Please."

Buffy relented, letting him rest. Propping him against a nearby wall. "We gotta keep moving," Buffy told him.

"You have to… the Key," said the Monk. "You must protect the Key!"

"Right, yeah, Key," said Buffy, trying to get him to move. "We'll protect it together. Far, far away from here."

"Many have... died..." the Monk gasped out, through pain. "Many more, if you don't... keep it safe..."

Buffy paused. "How? What is it?"

"The Key is… energy," said the Monk. "It had no form. My brethren... protected it. Then..." Nodding back at the collapsed warehouse, "…the Abomination... found us. We hid the Key. Gave it form. Molded it flesh, made it… a daughter. A weapon. To kill what can't be killed." He clutched at Buffy. "And we sent it… to _you_. Slayer."

Buffy felt her entire world spin around her.

"Seo," Buffy breathed. "She's the Key."

The Monk nodded.

"The memories," said Buffy. "The matter transformation. Everything you did! You made my friends hate the Doctor! Do you know that?"

"His mind… was too strong," said the Monk. Coughing, struggling to breathe. "Impenetrable. We needed you. He got in the way."

Buffy almost couldn't speak for a moment. Torn between sympathy for a dying man, and utter rage over what this dying man had done.

"The child… is his," said the Monk. "Both of yours. To incorporate the Time Lord… into… reality. So he could not see… her nature."

"I don't want it," Buffy said. Standing up, shaking her head, stepping away. "Take it away! All the memories and lies and deceit and trickery and…!"

"Please," the Monk begged. "The girl. We ran… out of time. She is… too young. Vulnerable. You must… protect her. Hide her. She is… an innocent. A daughter. She knows nothing."

"She's not really my…" Buffy started. Then realized. If Time Lords reproduced using some genetic mish-mash thing… how was this any different? "I never wanted a daughter."

"If you won't protect the child… for your own sake," gasped the Monk, "do it… for his. Her father." His hands trembled with the effort of his words. "She is… the only other one… like him. Anywhere."

And then… with one final breath… the Monk died.

* * *

Buffy and Giles sat, together, in the darkened Magic Box. Sitting around the circular table in the corner of the shop.

Anya had long since gone home.

"I… don't know what to say," Giles confessed.

"Tell me about it."

"She's…" Giles hesitated. "I mean, she actually is your…?"

"For all intents and purposes, yeah," said Buffy. "Seo. Half-Buffy, half-Doctor. Our kid." She looked down at the table, her head dropping in shame. "I just… I _yelled_ at him, Giles. The Doctor. I blamed him for so much stuff, and… he didn't do any of it. He was set up."

Giles fumbled with the second Dagon's Sphere. "Yes, well, I suppose you can be thankful that _you_ didn't tell him he destroyed…" He trailed off.

Buffy knew how Giles must be feeling. She, herself, felt violated, angry, and guilty beyond belief. And she hadn't been the one who broke down with anger and blurted out about the home-planet-destruction thing.

"The Monk was right, though," said Buffy. "I mean, I know they didn't do it to help him, but… they gave him a child. A new member of a dead race. A chance to start again." She looked up at Giles. "A second dawn."

Seosyrae.

"I suppose… it's time to tell him, then," said Giles.

Buffy shook her head. "No. Never."

Giles sighed, leaning in closer to her. "Buffy," he said, softly. "You can't keep leaving him ignorant. You're putting his life in danger. Remember with Faith?"

Yes. Buffy remembered. She'd told the Doctor nothing about Faith reawakening, nothing about who Faith was or what she was doing, and nothing about the Doctor's relationship with the Watchers' Council.

She'd paid for that.

"This… 'Red Dress Lady'," Giles continued, "she's after the Key. What if she finds him, instead?"

"Then he won't know enough to be interesting to her," said Buffy.

"And if she knows him, already?" Giles asked.

Buffy said nothing.

Her eyes fixed off into the distance. Thinking over what the Monk had told her…

_Molded it flesh, made it… a daughter. A weapon. To kill what can't be killed._

Buffy knew. Inside her heart. Whatever Seo was, she was insanely dangerous. A weapon that should never have been created, using an unspeakably powerful energy source that should never have been used.

Whatever Seo was, the moment the Doctor found out, he'd feel it was his duty to destroy her.

"The Doctor's been alone so long, Giles," said Buffy. "The only one in the universe. And… now, for the first time in years — maybe even centuries — there's someone else. Another member of his own race. A _real_ member of his own race." She shook her head. "I can't take that away from him."

Giles analyzed her. Then sighed. "I'll respect your wishes," he said. "But I think you're making a mistake."

"The monks sent the Key to _me_ ," said Buffy. "Not him. Me, specifically. They'd have sent it even if he wasn't around." She sagged her head. "Seo's _my_ kid. _My_ responsibility. _My_ fault."

"Buffy…"

She looked up at Giles, raw pain burning through her. "No, really. I mean, I know everyone's said this baby's supposed to be a partnership, but… it's not. It's _mine_. Mine alone. I have to take care of her, Giles. I…" she swallowed around a lump in her throat. "I _want_ to."

"You love her," Giles realized.

"She's my daughter."

For a moment, neither of them said anything. Both just thinking over all of this. All the implications. All it meant.

"And… what about Willow, Xander, and the others?" Giles asked, at last.

"We make sure they stop picking on the Doctor," said Buffy, firmly. "Especially about the stuff he didn't actually do. Make sure they know this baby's my responsibility, primarily. And then…" she shrugged. "We tell them nothing else."

"I don't think that's going to work."

"It has to," said Buffy. "Giles, this is really serious. People have killed for this Key thing. People have died for it. It's safer if they don't know. For their sakes. And for the world's. We tell no one."

Buffy remembered. What the Monk had told her.

_Made it… a daughter. A weapon._

"Not even Seo," Buffy said. "When she grows up."

"Then I suppose… our next course of action is to discover who this… Red Dress Lady is," said Giles. "And why she needs the Key. If she comes for you—"

"She will," said Buffy. "But I'll make sure it's me she comes for. No one else."

* * *

And from a collapsed warehouse, a very angry blond woman in a red dress burst out of the rubble.

"Okay," said the woman. "Now. I'm pissed."


	23. Chapter 23

Martha's World:

"Good thing none of us are vegetarians," said Kennedy, as they roasted the puffin they'd caught, earlier that day.

They'd run out of food, nearly a week ago. And had been roughing it ever since.

"Are you sure we're actually heading to Tasiilaq?" Xander asked. "Because, got to tell you. I'm nothing without my GPS."

"According to the compass, the northern star, and the map, we're on the right track," said Dawn. Sighed. "It's taking forever, though, huh?"

"It's okay," said Andrew. "We can be just like—"

Andrew stopped talking, as he noticed the angry glares from the people surrounding him.

"Okay," Andrew muttered, backing off. "No more post-apocalyptic movie references. I get it."

"For a post-apocalyptic world," said Dawn, hugging her knees to her chest, "this one's pretty boring. Since Ria left, there's been, like, no one. Nothing."

"Not complaining," said Faith, slouching in place. The light from the fire flickered across her face. "Got a lot of ground to cover. Freezing weather. Wild animals. No food or shelter." She gave an uneasy shrug. "Can't imagine all that with hordes of Toclafane around, too."

They all looked at one another. Bedraggled, dirty, stuffed into the warmest coats they'd managed to salvage from Qaqortoq, and still shivering with cold.

But they were alive.

"I hope Ria's all right," Kennedy said, softly, as she took the Puffin down from the spit, and began to slice it up, using one of the Boba Fett knives.

"I hope Buffy's all right," Xander added, taking a piece of bird.

* * *

"It's not interfering with the Archangel Network!" Seo insisted. She pointed down at the device that she and Luke were furiously attempting to construct, based on a number of cannibalized cell phones and every still-working electronic gadget they could find in the run-down ruins of Leicester. "The Toclafane don't use Archangel to communicate with each other. We're just trying to find _the Toclafane's_ communications network, and tap into _it_. Tell the Toclafane we're serious."

Buffy didn't like it. Really didn't like it.

"It won't muck up my father's plan," Seo reiterated.

"We're designing a device to send the Toclafane into full sensory deprivation," Luke explained, calmly. "It makes perfect sense. If the Toclafane can't see, they'll stop shooting."

Buffy groaned. "You ever see a Dalek shot through the eyestalk," she muttered, "and you'll know that's a lie."

Luke frowned.

Buffy turned to Seo. "I get why he thinks this is a good idea," she said. Crossed her arms. "Question is… why do you?"

Seo clasped her hands behind her back, trying to look innocent. "I don't know what you mean."

"Oh, come on, you're so totally trying to pull something!" snapped Buffy. She shook out her hair behind her back. "What is it about you and the Toclafane, all of a sudden? I thought you were planning to banish them to another realm, here!"

"Dawn and I will send the Toclafane back to their parents," Seo replied. "But, in the meantime, I can make them better. I have to."

Luke paused, looking up at Seo. Staring at her, as if she were insane. "What?"

"Well, if they misbehave," Seo explained, "we can just zap them with this thing. It'll put them into sensory deprivation for a few minutes. And, after enough zaps, eventually, they'll learn."

Alison shook her head, slumping down against the wall. "I can't believe this," she said. "The Toclafane are monsters, Seo. No souls. You _can't_ make them better!"

"Look, I get that you don't like killing things," said Willow, coming over to Seo and Luke. "But… seriously. Just this once. We really, really need a weapon that can kill these Toclafane."

Seo stared at Willow, eyes wide and hurt. "But… they're just kids."

"They're not kids!" Alison shouted. Ready to rip out her hair. "They're not even people! They destroyed the world, Seo! They killed everyone!"

"They are sadistic maniacs," Luke agreed. "Who kill both human adults and human children. Even you've been upset about that one."

Seo looked a little sheepish. Her eyes fixed on the ground.

None of them could deny the way Seo had completely exploded, seeing the bodies of dead children on the ground, in Rothamsted Park. Children massacred by the Toclafane.

"Dad never killed me, when I made mistakes," Seo muttered. "And I learned."

Luke scooted back in his chair, his eyes on the electronics spread across the table. "I'm not doing this," he said. Stood up, walked over to Alison and Buffy, stood by them. "The Toclafane killed my mum. I'm not building a weapon that'll just slap them on the wrists and not actually help anything."

"Seo, I don't know how many ways I can tell you this," said Alison, subconsciously taking Luke's hand. "The Toclafane _aren't_ like you. _You_ don't want to hurt anyone. _The Toclafane_ think of hurting people as recreation."

"They're just—" Seo began.

But she was snatched up, a hand put over her mouth, before she could go on. Willow, still weak from blood loss, but soldiering on despite everything, held Seo still, listening. As the stomp of boots echoed from the floor below.

They'd been found.

Buffy grabbed up the backpacks from the ground, tossed them to each of the team members, as Willow secured a rope to the far end of the wall, then shoved the end out the window. Buffy glanced at Willow, worriedly, not sure Willow was healed enough from the last Toclafane attack to go down the rope, but Willow nodded at her, and Buffy relented. Quickly, silently, they all scrambled for the window, shimmying down the rope as fast as they could.

Not fast enough.

The troops smashed their way through the door, before Seo or Willow had even begun to climb down. Seo and Willow raised up their hands, as the UFC forces pointed guns at them.

Behind the UFC troops, a group of Toclafane emerged, giggling.

"Buffy Summers and Willow Rosenberg," said one UFC guy. "Class alpha dissidents." He grinned. "Hello promotion."

Seo looked down at herself, only just having time to register who they'd mistaken her for, before Willow yanked Seo off her feet and threw her out the window. Seo tumbled through the air, desperately trying to find something to grab onto.

And fell right into the arms of her mom, who toppled to the ground under the force of the impact.

The rope was cut, and dropped to the ground.

"Will…?" Buffy whispered.

But that was when a massive glow of red energy swelled through the building, shaking it apart, making it crumble and topple and then explode with a force so violent, it slammed Buffy, Luke, Seo, and Alison against the sidewalk.

They just had time to see Willow, floating in midair, a magical red halo encompassing her.

Before a Toclafane swooped by, and shot her down.

And she exploded into nothing.

"Willow!" Buffy screamed. She jumped to her feet, racing for the rubble, screaming for her fallen friend, not even noticing as the Toclafane advanced on her. Giving evil little laughs.

Just then, a UFC van pulled up out of nowhere, a woman in a black Kevlar vest with long black hair jumping out, gun in hand.

"UFCA Johnson," said the woman to the Toclafane. "Master wants these four alive." She gestured at the ground troops surrounding her. "Take 'em."

Luke and Alison tried to run, but didn't get very far, before they were confronted by a series of armed guards, with loaded rifles. They put up their hands, backing away.

Seo went very still. Her eyes fixed on everyone surrounding her. Then resting on the woman in the Kevlar vest. The woman pointing a gun right at her.

"You," Seo breathed.

Agent Johnson's eyes flicked back and forth between the figure of Buffy, trying desperately to shake off the UFC troops that had swarmed across her, barely able to comprehend what was going on, now that Willow was gone. And Seo.

"Get the woman," Agent Johnson said to her troopers. "Girl stays with me." Advanced on Seo, her gun pointed straight at her. "One word from you, and…"

Seo could guess.

Recognized the woman, from before the Toclafane had descended. The government assassin woman who'd shot her de-brainwashing machine.

Seo didn't say anything. Didn't resist, as she was manhandled into the back of the van.

UFC forces might have captured her and her friends. But she'd get the upper hand, eventually. Seo knew she would. She just had to wait until the time was right.

* * *

UFCA Lindo eased the van down the road, a smile on his face. Four terrorists brought in, and that meant he and everyone else in Agent Johnson's team was up for a commendation from the Master. Moment they got to the East Midlands Airport, and could get these four on a jet to the Valiant, Lindo knew he had it made.

Until the sound of a gun cocking beside his head caught him off guard.

"Turn right," Johnson commanded.

"But… the airport is…" Lindo stuttered.

"I know," said Johnson. "Turn right. Or I shoot."

Lindo's eyes flicked over to Johnson. She'd do it. He knew she'd do it. The ends justified the means, in her book, and she wasn't afraid to kill for what she believed in.

Lindo turned right.

"Now pull over, and stop," Johnson continued.

Lindo did as he was told. "You're… part of the resistance," he said, putting the car into park. "A double-agent. Working for Hiskaloph."

Johnson pulled the trigger. And Lindo, shot in the head, fell over. Dead.

That answered that question.

She went to the back of the van, opened it up. Sure enough, the three UFCAs who weren't in the know were already dead. The rest of the group were all solidly on Johnson's side.

Johnson had made sure of that.

The prisoners, tied up and restrained, were looking a little dazed.

"Never thought I'd find myself working with terrorists," Johnson sighed, tucking her gun away. Then again, she never thought she'd be a terrorist, herself. Until the Master took over. She nodded at her troops. "Get 'em out and untied. We've got a place for them to stay, for the night."

The troops saluted her.

"Except this one," said Johnson, grabbing up the short girl with the blond hair and brown eyes. The person she'd assumed was Buffy Summers. Until… just now. When she'd tracked down the dissidents. And discovered… there were two Buffys. "I want to know who she is. And why the Master doesn't know about her."

* * *

"Willow Rosenberg," said Johnson, slapping a dossier onto the metal table of the hidden bomb shelter she'd found, for them to hide in. "Deceased. Slayer Institution. Number three dissident in the world, after Martha Jones and Ria Hiskaloph."

Buffy felt the burn of Willow's death surge through her. The raging sorrow, inside. But struggled to keep it from her face.

Johnson looked over at Buffy and Alison. "Buffy Summers," she said, "and Alison Korjensky. Torchwood Three." She smacked two more dossiers on the table. "Both on the Master's most wanted list." She glanced at Luke. Pulling out another dossier. "Luke Smith. Son of Sarah Jane Smith. UNIT. Also on the Master's most wanted list." Then she turned to Seo. "And as for you…" She held out her hands to show she had no dossiers left. "Nothing."

Seo didn't answer.

"How do you know I signed up with Torchwood?" Alison demanded. "I haven't even started working for them, yet."

Johnson gave a grim laugh. "We've been spying on Torchwood for ages, now," she said. "Particularly Captain Jack. They say… he can't be killed."

No one said anything to this.

"We've been investigating you since you signed up as an intern," said Johnson. "We know the Captain's immortality has something to do with the Torchwood Hub. We thought… once you gained enough access to the Hub… we could make you an offer. You give us the information we want, you get a little extra money on the side."

Alison's jaw dropped.

Johnson shrugged at her. "Didn't take us long to work out you'd never do it."

"Why'd you rescue us?" Buffy demanded. She crossed her arms. "What do you want?"

"Look — I believed in what I was doing," Johnson told them. She nodded at Seo. "Believed it even when I tried to kill you. Protect the state, at all costs. Eliminate terrorists. Ends justify the means." She sighed. "Then the Master took over, and destroyed the world. And all my beliefs were thrown out the window."

Luke glanced between Seo and Johnson. "You… tried to kill her?"

"I thought she was Buffy," Johnson retorted. Gave a bitter laugh. "Easy mistake to make, when the two look so similar." Her eyes rested on Seo. "What are you? Her sister?"

"Daughter," Seo said, very quietly.

Johnson looked between the two, skeptically. Clearly not believing it.

"Why aren't there any photos or CCTV footage of you two together?" Johnson asked.

Seo and Buffy exchanged a look. But kept quiet. Didn't know how much they could trust Johnson. Didn't know how much they could trust anyone.

"What's happened to the rest of Torchwood?" Alison asked.

"Toshiko Sato's dead," said Johnson, leaning back in her chair. "Owen Harper got picked up two days ago, shipped to the Valiant. Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones? No idea." She glanced down at her briefcase. "Got dossiers on them, too."

No one said anything.

"Me? I never wanted to be in the UFC," said Johnson. "Wanted to take the Master down, moment I found out the truth about him. Wound up running into Hiskaloph, in America. And now… here I am." She spread her arms. "Undercover part of the resistance."

"Wait, Ria Hiskaloph?" asked Buffy.

"That's the one," Johnson agreed. "Hiskaloph thinks very highly of you. You and Martha Jones." She leaned forward. "Look, I've gotta ask. What Hiskaloph says. That Martha Jones knows how to take down the Master. Is it true?"

"Yes," said Seo, softly.

Johnson nodded, slowly. Taking this all in. "Good." A smile on her face. "If I don't march up to the Valiant and take him out, first."

"You've been on the Valiant?" Buffy asked. She could feel herself shaking, her breath coming a little too fast. "Have you seen…? I mean, is…?"

Johnson studied Buffy, carefully. Then, in a lower voice, said, "Yes. The Doctor's still alive."

Buffy said nothing.

"It's what Hiskaloph wanted to know, too," said Johnson. She crossed her arms. "He means a lot to you, this… Doctor?"

Buffy just nodded.

Johnson thought it over. Then turned to Seo.

"Don't let anyone see you with your mum," she warned. "Longer the Master thinks there's only one of you, the more likely it is that your plan… whatever it may be… will work."

* * *

When they arrived at the city of Tasiilaq, Dawn and the others were welcomed with open arms.

"You're… with Hiskaloph, yes?" one townsperson asked.

Dawn, Faith, Xander, Andrew, and Kennedy nodded.

"Saviors!" cried another townsperson, rushing them into hiding. "Of our town. Of the world!"

Turned out, the small city of Tasiilaq had heard of Ria's resistance movement, and the victory of the Qaqortoq residents against the Master's army. They hadn't been invaded by the Master's troops, yet, but were clearly worried about it. Begged Dawn and the others to help them fend off the coming attack.

"Of course," said Kennedy. "We're Slayers. That's what we do."

Dawn began constructing a strategy. She didn't quite have the same level of strategic brilliance as Ria, she'd admit, but she wasn't half bad, herself. And with the whole city on their side, Dawn was sure that they could win this.

* * *

"But maybe they really _can_ help us," said Nivi, one of the residents of Tasiilaq, clutching her baby son to her. "They won against the Master in Qaqortoq."

"We can't take that risk," Inuk, another resident, replied. "We made this deal before those five ever showed up. This is the best thing to do."

That was true. But since those five had shown up, a growing number of Tasiilaq residents were beginning to think this was a bad idea.

"I don't like it," said Nivi. "They're so… young."

"It doesn't matter," said the mayor of Tasiilaq, Aputsiaq, as he entered the hovel, his face bent in seriousness. "I've already informed the UFC. The fugitives are being apprehended as we speak. Our city will be saved."


	24. Chapter 24

Martha's World:

Faith looked up. Thought she'd heard a noise.

"Be right back," she said, venturing towards the front of the house where they had all holed up to strategize. She spun around, as the noise repeated, her entire body tensed for a fight.

The tension dropped, as Faith realized it was just a few of the Tasiilaq residents, coming to check on her and the others' progress.

"Sorry," said Faith. Thrusting her hands into her back pockets. "Bit jumpy. We're still working on—"

A hand reached out from behind, covering her mouth with a cloth that reeked of chloroform. A faster-acting chloroform than Faith had ever witnessed, before. Strong enough that Faith didn't even have a chance to fight back, before she drifted into unconsciousness.

* * *

Kennedy and Xander came up, next. More suspicious than Faith had been. But the group of Tasiilaq residents were ready for them. Led them outside, and right into the hands of the UFC, who already had Faith tied up and knocked out, in their custody.

"Surrender," said one of the UFCAs, pointing a gun at Faith, "or we kill her."

They surrendered.

"You're not just killing us, now?" Kennedy asked, as she let herself be tied up with restraints strong enough that not even she could break through them. "Call me surprised."

"Our Master wants information on Ria Hiskaloph," said another UFCA. "Our job is to make you give us that information."

"Because we're definitely telling you that," said Xander, with a laugh.

The UFC gave Xander and Kennedy menacing glares. Which both Xander and Kennedy returned, in full force.

"Who's left?" the head UFCA asked the mayor of Tasiilaq.

The mayor hesitated. Looking at the three restrained people. "Two others," the mayor said. "A thin boy. And a girl who's hard to see. Neither demonstrates super strength."

A group of UFC soldiers raced off to catch Dawn and Andrew.

"You sold us out," Kennedy gritted through her teeth at the mayor of Tasiilaq.

"The whole city sold you out," said the UFCA restraining Kennedy. "You're not fighting for humanity, you know. You're the ones ensuring its destruction. If you keep fighting our Master, he'll wipe us out."

"And if we don't, he'll wipe us out, anyways!" Kennedy retorted. "How long do you think he'll keep _you_ around for, Mr. UFC guy? What's going to happen when you're no longer useful to him?"

"Please, Miss, the UFC men speak the truth!" insisted the mayor of Tasiilaq. "Our Master is ruthless, but fair. He destroys only to eliminate rebels and traitors. If we comply with all he says, we will survive."

"Wow," said Xander. "Looks like someone hasn't read their copy of 'the Idiots Guide to Megalomaniacs'." He exchanged a look with Kennedy, who clearly was thinking the same thing.

"You're all going to die," Kennedy said, turning to the mayor. "You got that? These UFC guys have orders to burn these out-of-the-way places to the ground. You're siding with the enemy!"

"Of course not," said the UFC trooper, bundling Kennedy and Xander into the helicopter. "Now that they've helped us capture you, they get to live. That's the deal."

"Yeah right," Kennedy muttered.

* * *

"Something's happened to the others," Dawn whispered. "I'm positive." She looked around herself, then darted out of the house where they were hidden. "Be back, soon."

Andrew sighed. He was always the one left behind. Wasn't even worthy of being incorporated into the new Slayer Institution, himself, except in the accounting department.

A sudden crash of glass, as UFC troopers jumped in through the windows, their guns trained on Andrew.

"Where is she?" they demanded.

Andrew raised his arms. Dawn. They wanted to know where Dawn was. Dawn, wearing the perception filter, almost completely invisible.

"I… I… I'm not telling you anything!" snapped Andrew, his voice shaking. He was going to be an action hero, like in all those movies. He'd be like James Bond, when they'd been torturing him to—

A bang.

Andrew screamed, as the bullet tore through his shoulder. Whimpering, doubling over, his eyes flooding as the pain overwhelmed him.

"That was a warning," said the UFC. "Now. Where is the other one?"

Andrew began to cry, curling in on himself. "That really hurt!"

The UFC exchanged a look. Sighed. Then grabbed him up, yanking his hurt arm in such a way that he howled, and dragged him to the others.

* * *

Dawn watched, as the UFC shoved Andrew into the helicopter, along with everyone else. She stepped forward. She was right next to the UFC troopers, standing in their midst — but they couldn't see her at all. Or, if they did see her, didn't seem to register that she was really there.

Thank you, perception filter.

"There's one missing," snapped the UFC troop leader.

"Doesn't matter," said a UFCA. "These four can tell us about Hiskaloph. The other can be left to her fate, here."

Dawn snuck past the UFCAs, and climbed into the helicopter. Putting a finger to her lips, to shush her friends, before sitting down beside them.

Xander and Kennedy pointedly looked away from Dawn, pretending she wasn't there.

Andrew was too busy wallowing in self-pity over his injured shoulder to even notice.

Faith was still out cold.

"You know what to do, once we're gone," said the UFC troop leader, as he shut the doors to the helicopter. Then turned to the UFCA at the pilot's seat, and made a gesture to take off.

The helicopter lifted into the air. Dawn studying the pilot, seeing how he used the controls to make the helicopter function. Committing his actions to memory.

Faith groaned, on the floor.

"You're going to kill them all, aren't you?" Kennedy snapped. She struggled against her bonds. "Burn the city to the ground, anyways! You bastards!"

"Just following orders," said the UFC troop leader.

Dawn figured the struggling was for her benefit, and took the hint. Crept over, and undid the restraints binding Kennedy. Then moved on to Faith, slowly regaining consciousness.

"They're humans!" Kennedy shouted, imitating the same struggling motions she'd made, before, when she was actually tied up. "Your own people! You should be saving them!"

"I'm staying alive, missy," said the UFC troop leader. "Gaining my Master's favor. He's good to the people he likes."

"Yeah," Xander agreed. "Because anyone who calls himself just 'the Master' is completely sane and rational."

Dawn moved on to Xander's restraints.

"What's… where…?" Faith muttered.

"The entire town of Tasiilaq turned us over to the UFC," Kennedy filled her in, "so they could interrogate us about Ria. And Tasiilaq could get burned to the ground."

"Just the _four_ of us," Xander added, pointedly.

Faith and Xander exchanged a look. Then Faith glanced over at Dawn, who was busily untying Andrew, and seemed to get the message.

"You mean… they left…?" Faith asked. Her head snapping around to the UFC troop leader. "You've got no idea how much you're gonna pay for this."

"You're not in any position to make threats," said the UFC troop leader, with a cold smile.

Kennedy, in a burst of motion too fast for any of the UFCAs to register, leapt to her feet and kicked the UFC troop leader against the wall. "Guess again."

Faith surged forward, too, punching and flipping and yanking guns out of the UFCAs' hands. Xander chucked the guns out the side of the helicopter, as the fight went on, making sure that their side had the advantage.

Dawn, in the meantime, shoved herself into the pilot's seat, recently vacated courtesy of Kennedy flinging the pilot over the edge. She grabbed up the controls, trying to recall everything she'd seen the guy do.

Redirected the helicopter away from its intended course — the Valiant — and towards Glasgow.

In the back of the helicopter, Faith stomped down on one of the UFCA's backs, yanking him up by his hair. Last one left standing.

"Help us," said Faith. "Or die."

The UFCA gave a bitter laugh. "Too late," he said. "Troop leader already sent a distress signal. Toclafane are on their way." He gave a rasping cough. "Death at your hands would be a mercy."

Kennedy punched him in the head.

"They're right," said Xander, examining the radar on the helicopter's dash. "Toclafane, heading here. Fast."

"Take this thing in lower!" shouted Kennedy. "If we jump at this altitude, we'll die."

Dawn tried her best. Tried to make the helicopter lower, without hurling them into a nosedive and losing control.

A searing flash of light, and the side of the helicopter was wrenched away by Toclafane fire.

"Lower!" Faith cried.

Dawn yanked the helicopter down, towards the water. More shots blasted their way through the helicopter, two to the sides, and one to the front, sending the chopper spinning out of control.

Dawn only had time to feel herself yanked out of her seat and hauled into the water, as the helicopter slammed into the ocean beside them…

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Seo's World:

"So… has she gotten super smart, yet?" Willow asked Buffy, after Seo had passed the one month mark.

"Yeah," Buffy agreed, Seo on her lap. "Right now, she's musing over the ideals of Confucius. And she really likes to suck on my socks." She reflected. "That's not a Confucian ideal, right?"

Willow shook her head.

"Oh, well, worth a shot," said Buffy.

She handed Seo her plush Dracula doll, and the baby grabbed for it. Then proceeded to try to stuff his head into her mouth.

"That's actually pretty advanced," said Willow. "I don't think kids are supposed to start putting things into their mouths until they start getting their teeth in."

"Good girl," said Buffy, patting Seo on the head. Her hair was already growing — the same blond color as Buffy's. "Eat that Dracky."

"Don't you think it's weird, having your daughter's favorite doll be… Count Dracula?" Willow asked, in a hushed whisper. "You know, after what happened?"

Buffy shrugged. Smiling fondly on the little girl who was still trying to murder Dracula using a combination of baby germs and spit. "The Doctor's kind of creeped out by it," she said. "But… Seo likes toy vampires. And when I try to take Dracky away from her, she gets really upset."

As it turned out, Seo liked toy vampires a lot.

To the extent that, pretty soon, Seo's crib was filled with the little fanged toys, all surrounding her with their adorably murderous plush eyes and cartoony capes, as she went to sleep. And if Buffy tried to remove any of these toys, Seo began to give a very convincing fake cry.

"She's… _fake_ crying?" Tara asked, when she'd gotten caught by the act.

Buffy took the child from Tara. "That's how you know it's a Doctor-Buffy baby," said Buffy. "She can't talk, yet, and she's already learned how to lie."

The Doctor was becoming increasingly disturbed by the growing population of plush vampires in Seo's crib.

"You don't think we might be… desensitizing her to them?" he asked.

"Says Mr. Vampires-Are-People-Too," Buffy told him.

The Doctor scratched the back of his neck, his brow furrowed.

"Tell you what," said Buffy. "If I find a toy Dalek, I'll buy it for her. Just so you don't feel left out."

The Doctor visibly jumped at the word 'Dalek'. Memory-less he may be, but, turns out — Daleks? Still terrifying enough to scare the crap out of you, even when you don't remember what they are.

"Maybe not," Buffy amended.

Buffy had planned on continuing to go to college, while this was going on. But… she was starting to realize that babies were hard work.

And a lot of money.

Which was kind of okay, with Buffy living at home and Mom helping support them. But when Mom started going to the hospital, Buffy realized… she couldn't keep doing this.

She had a family, now.

So she dropped out of school. And tried to get a job.

"You're jeopardizing your future, Buffy," Mom lectured, when Buffy announced her decision. "You're smart. You could do anything. But you can't do it until you get the right credentials."

"Unless you've got a magic money-creating tree," said Buffy, "I have to. For Seo."

"And what about the Doctor?" Mom demanded, hands resting on the countertop. "This child is a partnership, you know. He should do his fair share."

Buffy burst out laughing. The Doctor? With a… job?! It was just too funny.

"I think it's entirely reasonable," said Mom, a little offended at her laughter. "He's 900 years older than you. You can continue your education, while he goes off and supports you."

"Mom," said Buffy, shaking her head. "The Doctor doesn't understand 'money'. The last check he got he used as a piece of scrap paper to write equations on, so he could build a machine to save the world."

Mom frowned at this.

"It's fine," said Buffy. "I can go do money-getting things, while you watch Seo, and the Doctor does… Doctor things."

Mom crossed her arms. "You have to confront him about this, some time," she said. "I don't care if he's intimidating — the fact is, both of you created this baby. It's his responsibility to take care of her as much as it is yours."

Buffy stopped herself just short of saying that, actually, no, it wasn't. She bit her tongue. It was pretty obvious to her that, in this whole crazy Key-mess-thing, the Doctor had gotten completely screwed over. Just because he happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Monks had used Buffy's feelings for him to make sure she'd protect the Key. And they'd used everyone's memories to make sure he'd be pushed away from it.

Damn them.

"He's fine doing what he's doing," Buffy told her mom. "And if he stops, the universe might end."

"This is how it begins," said Mom. "And then, next thing you know, you're moving to Sunnydale so your daughter can get a fresh start after burning down her school gym, and he's off in Spain with his secretary and doesn't want anything to do with you or your only daughter."

Buffy laughed into her orange juice. "Way to project, Mom."

* * *

Right, then.

Whatever the Doctor had been thinking, before, he was _certain_ , now. Absolutely, positively, a hundred percent… well, maybe eighty-five… seventy… almost sixty percent sure that Buffy had discovered something about Seo. Something important. Something dangerous. Something he _certainly_ needed to know about.

He knew this primarily because Buffy had begun keeping secrets from him.

"Doesn't show up on film," the Doctor muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Doesn't show up on film. Doesn't show up on…"

He turned on the child. Knelt down by her, tickled her toes.

"Is your DNA imprinted with an automatic perception filter?" he cooed at her. "Is it? Is it?"

Seo gave a happy little baby-laugh.

Which told him nothing.

Buffy was a far more useful source of information. Mainly because the Doctor could use her evasiveness to discover what he _wasn't_ supposed to be poking his nose into.

At the moment, the main thing she _didn't_ want him to do was hang around herself and Seo.

"No, really," Buffy insisted, strapping Seo into a harness she'd created for just this purpose, "I can take care of Seo fine by myself. You go… I don't know. Save the universe or something."

The Doctor flicked his eyes up and down her, taking in weapons bag, her Patrolling outfit, and her ready supply of wooden stakes.

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "You're taking a baby," he said, "on Patrol."

"I call it fighting 'mommy style'," Buffy said, with a grin. "I'm all with the defensive moves and protecting the Seo harness and that kind of thing." She pat Seo on the head. "She totally loves it."

The Doctor shot Buffy a pointed stare. "There something you think you should be telling me?"

"Nope!" said Buffy, leaving before he could stop her. "Have fun on your own!"

Well, if she was going to be like that, then of course, he _had_ to follow her. She should know him well enough, by now, to realize that's just what he did.

So he tailed her.

For nearly a week.

Until, one evening, when Buffy's patrol had wound up being a carefully coordinated demon ambush that not even Buffy could deal with, and the Doctor had had to blow his cover so he could save both Buffy and Seo's lives.

"Who're you afraid will come after you?" the Doctor asked Buffy, when he'd defeated the monsters in his own brilliant way, and the three of them were now alone.

"No one," Buffy said, a little too quickly. Her hand automatically resting on Seo's small form, protectively.

An action which merely confirmed his suspicions.

"So either it's a terrible threat you don't think I can defeat," the Doctor said, "or I've met it before, and it absolutely despises me."

Buffy said nothing.

"And you don't want to tell me what Seo is or who created her," the Doctor continued, "because she's terribly dangerous, and you're worried that if I ever find out, I'll feel it's my duty to kill her."

"I've got no idea what you're talking about," Buffy said.

The Doctor ignored the stubborn and pointed tone of her voice. He was having far too much fun.

"And I'm also guessing… since you finally seem to realize that those are implanted memories in your mind," the Doctor went on, "that you know who implanted them. Who created Seo. And why they wanted her created in the first—"

"Look, if you're gonna show off how smart you are," snapped Buffy, "could you at least do it when there aren't a million people who could overhear?! Geeze."

The Doctor just grinned at her, bouncing on his trainers. Knowing that, with that outburst, he'd just won the argument.

"And I still have no idea what you're talking about," Buffy added, quickly, brushing past him.

The Doctor spun around, trailed after her.

"Just tell me one thing," he said. "Teensy weensy thing. Why's she _mine_?"

Buffy didn't answer. Just raced forwards, trying to shake him off.

The Doctor sighed. Another mystery to be worked out, he supposed. Just hoped Buffy didn't get all worked up at him, when he eventually found some way to discover the answers. After all, he'd given her a chance to tell him the normal way.

Only one thing to do, he supposed.

The Doctor had to seek out Buffy's Big Bad.

* * *

Glory had tied the demon down in her sumptuous, luxurious walk-in closet. Her hands around his throat, as she gave him her usual deranged smile.

He hissed at her.

She shoved him back, with a viciousness that caused him to howl.

"Oh, stop whining!" she groaned. "You know, I remember when the Lei-ach were a proud warrior race, not sneaking around hospitals sucking on bone marrow. But let's talk about my problems for 30 seconds if that's perfectly all right with you."

He waited for her to continue.

"Blonde," Glory said, pacing in front of the demon. "Short. Strong for a human." She stopped, glancing back at the demon. "And massively rude." Looked down at her foot. "Broke my shoe, took my monk..." She advanced on the demon, again. "You got any idea who I might be talking about?"

The demon hissed and snarled something at her.

Glory rolled her eyes, annoyed. "A Slayer?" she moaned. "Oh, God, please don't tell me I was fighting a Vampire Slayer! How _common_! If I had friends, and they heard about this—" She noticed the demon's eyes had wandered, and she rushed him. Grabbing him by the throat. "PAY ATTENTION!"

The demon trembled beneath her touch.

"I am great," Glory said, her voice low and rapid, almost feverish, "and I am beautiful and when I walk in a room all eyes turn to me because my name is a holy name and you will listen or I will pull your vital organs out one by one and rearrange them. Do you get that?!"

The demon gave another snarled hiss.

Glory paused. Staring at him, as if he were a complete idiot. "Oh, don't give me that," she groaned. "A Time Lord?"

The demon gave another hiss, but Glory cut in before he could finish, grabbing him up by the face, nails digging into his flesh.

"The _problem_ ," Glory shouted at him, "is that _you_ are lying. To _me_! Do you understand? ME!"

The demon made another frantic noise.

"Get it through your tiny little skull," Glory said. "The Time Lords are dead, gone, and wiped out of the universe. _I_ should know."

A small hiss.

Glory froze. As she digested this. "Oh." Then she gave a little smile. "So. He survived, huh?" She thought a moment longer, and laughed. "You know," she told the demon, "this almost makes you worth my time."

Then, in a surge of strength, she tore the demon's head from his shoulders. Tossing the severed head from hand to hand, like a beach ball.

"But not quite."


	25. Chapter 25

Martha's World:

The first assassination attempt had just been hilarious.

It had been a day like any other, with the Master dancing around the flight deck of the Valiant, his Toclafane floating nearby, Lucy in her shiny silk dress, and Gandalf dumpy and sad in his wheelchair.

Then a group of UFC troop members, led by… an Agent Johnson, if the Master remembered the name correctly… entered the flight deck.

And tried to take a shot at him.

That was funny. Because the moment Johnson had raised her gun, the Toclafane noticed. And blasted her into oblivion.

Three seconds of Toclafane fire later, everyone involved in the assassination attempt was dead.

"That was fun!" said the Master. He turned, and kissed Lucy on the lips. "What's on telly?"

That was the first attempt.

The second assassination attempt… the Master started to realize he might have a problem.

That time, the assassin had shown up on the command deck of the Valiant, not the flight deck. The assassin was a UFCA, who'd been tasked with finding and bringing in Hiskaloph. His whole squad had been taken down, trying to get her. The UFCA was the only one left.

The moment the UFCA arrived on the command deck, the Master — looking in over the cameras — knew there was going to be trouble. The UFCA was shaking. Sweating. Twitching. The Master pressed a button on his laser screwdriver, remotely sealing the doors of the command deck.

Sure enough. The UFCA pulled out his gun and started shooting.

"So… a whole group of traitors, then, in my UFC network," the Master mused. "Not just one or two." He grinned, bouncing on his toes. "Well! Better gas the lot of them!"

And he released the gas.

Killing everyone on the command deck.

Trouble was... something the traitor UFCA had said, before the shooting started, had caught the Master's attention. The way the traitor had trembled with fear, gun in hand, and stuttered out…

"I have no choice. Hiskaloph's right. The Master will kill me, because I've failed. This is the only way."

The Master strutted over to his aged pet Doctor. "You know what this is about?"

The Doctor didn't answer.

"Oh, don't be like that!" the Master cooed. He pinched the Doctor's cheeks. "I know that face. That's the face you always make when you're about to moralize at me, again!"

Still, no answer.

"Come on," the Master challenged. "Tell me. Try to make me better. I know you want to!"

"You lead by fear," the Doctor said. "This is the result. Lead by kindness, and they will follow more willingly."

The Master opened his mouth to retort something. Then stopped. Paused. Thought it over.

"Oh, clever, clever," the Master said, as Hiskaloph's whole strategy became clear to him. "Using my own ruthlessness against me. They fear what I'll do to them, hearing they've failed, so they join the resistance movement."

The Doctor didn't answer.

"That what you told Martha Jones, before she teleported down?" the Master asked. "Is that your secret way for Martha to kill me?"

Still, no answer from the Doctor.

The Master jerked the Doctor's wheelchair away from the window, and wheeled him across the room.

"All right, then," said the Master. "Let's take a page from Code Doctor."

He flipped out his laser screwdriver, and buzzed it at a nearby shipboard computer, accessing Over Watch — the command-and-control data network that fed through the Archangel satellite grid and coordinated UFC operations.

"Amnesty for all who know anything about the location of Ria Maria Hiskaloph!" the Master announced.

The Doctor gave him a wary look.

'Amnesty' never meant 'amnesty', to the Master.

"Don't be like that!" said the Master, with glee. "I could have just killed _everyone_ , traitor or no. And that would have made you even more grumpy-wumpy. Wouldn't it?"

No answer from the Doctor.

The Master buzzed at the computer terminal, again. "And… just to make sure I get all the traitors," he added, "let's put in… a reward. Promotion to your own personal office, up on the Valiant, for switching back to the winning side, and finally bringing her in." The Master chuckled. "Maybe I'll shove them in with the Freak, before blowing them all to kingdom come! Kaboom!"

The Master was pulled away from his manipulation of Over Watch, though, by the metallic spheres that entered the room.

"What's chocolate taste like?" asked one of the spheres.

The Master froze. His mind racing to work out what in the world the Toclafane were on about, now. "Chocolate?"

"Invisible Lady says killing people will get boring," said another sphere.

"Invisible Lady says eating chocolate is much more fun!" said a third.

"Why've you never given us chocolate?" asked the Toclafane.

Hmmm…

The Master's eyes flicked down to the Doctor, who'd gone very rigid in his wheelchair, purposely keeping his face blank. Now _that_ was interesting.

"Chocolate's rubbish," the Master said. "This is your new empire, remember? The Time Lord Empire — and it will last forever!"

"Hurray!" said the Toclafane, as they rushed out of the room.

The Master grinned. "Impulsive little kids, aren't they?" Then rounded on the Doctor, the grin turning that much more malicious. "Now. Since I'm sure you know something. The real question is… how to get you to talk, Gramps?"

* * *

It had been ex-UFCA Davis who'd come up with the idea, first. The moment he'd heard about the amnesty. And the reward.

Davis didn't know exactly where Hiskaloph was — she'd been on the move since the amnesty had been declared. But that didn't matter.

Davis knew the location of the one person Hiskaloph was searching for. The one person Hiskaloph cared about finding more than anyone else.

He'd discovered Mark Farter — the young man who was, apparently, engaged to Ria Hiskaloph — in a labor camp, a while back. Davis had kept that a secret. Just in case he'd need to use that bit of information as leverage.

Hiskaloph was powerful. She was clever. She was charismatic, brave, and determined.

But she was still human.

Davis gathered up a troop of underlings, all eager to get in on the amnesty and the reward. They stormed the labor camp, and yanked the young man out. Whisked him away, and then sent out a message he knew Ria wouldn't be able to resist.

_Surrender yourself. Or we kill Mark_.

Davis wasn't sure what to expect from Hiskaloph — other than a trap. A plan. A strategy. That was what Hiskaloph was famous for. But the one thing Davis wasn't expecting was the van that pulled up, with a group of ex-UFC soldiers, inside, pointing guns at him.

"The amnesty and reward are _ours_ ," they said.

Two groups of minions eager to gain back the Master's favor. Two groups of soldiers who'd fallen from the Master's favor, each hoping to get the reward.

Davis shot one of them in the head.

And thus the shoot-out had begun, both sides flying for cover, trying to eliminate one another and grab up the target.

"Shhh…" said Vi, in Mark's ear, as she ducked into the fight, stealthily as she could, and whisked him away. "It's okay. We planned this. Ria's waiting for you."

"That's very good news," came an officious voice, from nearby.

Vi and Mark looked up, to discover one of the ADC's, standing just in front of them, a swarm of Toclafane alongside him.

The Toclafane were all giggling.

"I suggest you give her up, now," said the ADC. "Before I turn this one," gesturing at Mark, "over to our Master."

* * *

The fight that finally took down Hiskaloph had taken place in Cleveland. It spanned across three days and killed off most of the traitor UFCs, along with nearly every Slayer under Hiskaloph's protection.

The Master had played Hiskaloph's own game against her.

Gotten the right alliances with the right groups, promised them amnesty and all sorts of things he was never planning to actually give them, then sent in the Toclafane to do a final sweep. And the moment Hiskaloph was picked up, the Master had dropped a nuke on the battleground.

The Slayer Institute was finished.

"What do you think about that, rupe-rupe-rupity-Rupert?" asked the Master, cleaning the blood off the knife he'd been using on the guy. His eyes gleamed. "No more Slayers. No more Hiskaloph. No more Willow Rosenberg." He grinned, a little wider. "Oh. And almost no more Elizabeth, either."

Rupert Giles said nothing.

He hadn't told the Master anything useful since the day he'd discovered the Master's real identity.

"I don't know why you keep protecting her," the Master said, with a bounce in his step, as he circled around Giles. "You sold her out when you were working for me. Told me everything I wanted to know — and more besides."

Giles remained silent.

"Just tell me what Elizabeth's planning," said the Master. "Why she's on the move."

Giles opened his mouth, but all that came out were a series of coughs and splutters.

"Yes?" said the Master, ducking down to look right into Giles' eyes. "Out with it!"

Giles glared at the Master. "Buffy," he whispered, "is going to kill you."

* * *

Martha was in Germany, when she saw the broadcast.

The TVs had all stopped working, for the most part, but there were still a few functional, in the camps she frequented. She'd been hoping for some sign that the Doctor was still alive. Some hope she could cling to, some certainty that the Master hadn't killed him, yet.

But hope was all that Martha had.

"I know, I know!" said the Master, on TV. "You're all down there, praying for a miracle. And then… guess who showed up? A certain… Ria Maria Hiskaloph." He gestured at the woman knelt down on the flight deck of the Valiant.

Martha couldn't see the Doctor anywhere, nearby.

"Organizing you all to fight back!" said the Master. "Uniting man, woman, and demon together, in a single cry of, 'He is not our Master!'" The Master laughed. "But… see? She's wrong! And now… everyone she ever had on her side is dead. And she… is about to be executed."

From behind the Master, the woman — Ria — looked off camera. At something — or someone? Martha wasn't sure.

Then she stared straight into the camera. "Martha Jones will still save the world."

The Master stopped talking. His face suddenly angry, his eyes blazing. He spun on his heels, laser screwdriver in hand.

Ria looked back at him with no fear. "You can kill me," she said. "But humanity still has faith. And the key to your downfall."

Then, with a blaze of white light from the laser screwdriver, Ria screamed. And fell down, dead.

"If you're watching this, Martha Jones," said the Master, his voice hard, cold, "remember. This is what will happen to you."

* * *

Buffy, Luke, Seo, and Alison watched the execution.

Took it in, for a few long minutes, after the broadcast ended. Unable to say a word.

"Dawn's alive," Buffy breathed, at last, understanding Ria's message. "She's with Faith."


	26. Chapter 26

Seo's World:

The Doctor froze, as he entered the Summers house, where he'd gone to check in on Seo. Froze at the officious sound of a throat clearing. He turned.

Joyce Summers was sitting there, at the dining room table. Hands clasped on its surface. A serious look on her face.

"We need to talk," she told him.

The Doctor wasn't sure how he knew, but… those words… coming from someone's mum… were always a bad sign.

"Buffy is dropping out of school because of you," Joyce said. "My daughter — my only daughter — is sacrificing her own future, because you won't show her the respect she deserves."

The Doctor was slightly confused by this.

"Ah, yes, right, sorry, just… what's my part in all this?" he asked.

"Buffy's working at the Doublemeat Palace," said Joyce. "Flipping burgers for a living. Because, apparently, you're too 'important' to get a job."

Ha! So the Doctor was right! Whoever created Seo, they'd been intending to send her to Buffy. Specifically Buffy. Seo's creators had seen the Doctor as a problem, an obstacle. Someone they wanted out of the way — well, that much was obvious, since they'd rewritten everyone's memories to dislike him.

Buffy had worked it out, was feeling guilty, and decided to put all the burden on herself.

"Oh, I'm brilliant!" the Doctor applauded himself.

Then realized that Joyce was still in the room. Still glaring at him. And had absolutely no idea what was really going on.

"Yeah? Well, get in line, buddy," Joyce snapped at him. "Because my daughter's every bit as 'brilliant' as you. And she saves this world just as much — if not more — than you do. Without needing all those high-tech fancy gadgets you're always dissecting my appliances to create."

"Ah, yes, see, thing is—" the Doctor began.

"If you're such a genius," Joyce interrupted, "why don't you take that psychic paper and get a job?!"

"Get a…" the Doctor stared at her. For a moment, lost for words. Then shook his head. "Job? What would I do with a job? Do I need a job? Does Elizabeth need a job?"

"Having a baby isn't free!" Joyce shouted. "Who do you think buys those diapers? Those clothes? The food and crib and changing table? And the toys!"

Oh.

The Doctor hadn't realized this was such an issue. He had plenty of toys and clothing and whatnot in the TARDIS. Even had a crib in there — his own crib, if the inscriptions on its surface were to be believed.

"So you listen here, and you listen good," said Joyce. "You've had this baby with my daughter — out of wedlock. You've given her nothing but grief this whole time. Made her life a living hell. It's time you took some responsibility. This is your baby as much as it is hers. Start acting like it."

"Actually, would you believe that I had nothing whatsoever to do with this baby," the Doctor began, "and that, although technically mine, Seo seems to, in fact, be some terribly dangerous something-or-other which might…."

He trailed off, as he noticed Joyce's death glare.

And realized he was putting his foot in it, even more.

"Right!" the Doctor said, instead, jumping up. "Yes! Money! Get right to that!" And with only a slightly panicked glance back at Joyce, promptly ran out the door.

* * *

"I still don't see why we're letting the Doctor off the hook for this," said Xander, annoyed.

"Yeah," Anya chimed in. "And I also don't see why we can't sell that book!"

Xander faltered. "Okay, that one… I _can_ see," he admitted to Anya. "Because that book… is seriously creepy. In a lot of ways." He turned back to Giles. "But Anya's buying a book that describes how to systematically torture the guy still doesn't explain why we should let him off the hook for being a jerk to Buffy!"

Buffy had already seen the book. And burned it.

If it hadn't been for the whole Seo-being-the-Key thing, Buffy would probably have gone right to that demon publishing company, and blown it to smithereens.

"The Doctor isn't a bad father," said Buffy. "I mean, I know he was reluctant, at first, but he's doing his best, now."

"Yeah," said Xander. "Which is why you're the only one we ever see looking after Seo. Why you have to take her out on Patrol with you, because he won't stay behind and babysit."

"That's not… he's got really important world-saving things to do!" Buffy insisted.

"You save the world as much as he does," Tara muttered.

"Buffy, you had to drop out of school," said Willow. "And work at a fast food place. Just because he won't get a job. Don't you think that's kind of unfair?"

"That's not…" Buffy shook her head. "Look. I didn't want to freak Mom out, but… the job thing. I didn't do that because of Seo. I did that because… of Mom."

They all went quiet.

"Oh," said Xander, in a small voice.

"The doctors still don't know what it is," said Buffy. "But… it's not 'nothing'." She looked down at the table. "Babies are expensive. Babies and sick Moms are a lot more expensive."

"Buffy, we… didn't know," Tara said.

"Look, Buff, if you need help through this," said Xander. "You know, just… anything at all…"

Buffy shook her head. "No, no, I'm fine," she said. "I can handle it. I—"

The bell chimed, as the door to the Magic Box opened. And in strode the Doctor, pinstripe suit and trainers and all.

He walked over to the table, and dropped a wad of cash in front of Buffy. All thousands.

"Keep the change," he said, turning on his trainers, and heading back towards the door.

Buffy managed to pick her jaw up off the floor in time to catch him by the arm before he left. She spun him around to face her.

"Where'd you get _that_?!" she cried, pointing at the money.

"ATM machine," the Doctor explained.

Willow looked up at him, surprised. "You've got a bank account?"

The Doctor glanced over at her, blankly. "Bank account?"

Anya, her eyes never leaving the money, suddenly began to laugh. "Oh, my God!" she said. "You're just like I was, when I got here! You've got absolutely no idea where money comes from!"

Buffy's heart was starting to race. "You just used your sonic screwdriver to get money out of the ATM, didn't you?"

"Well, yes," said the Doctor. "But your mum seemed to think you were short on money."

Anya laughed even harder.

"Doctor, you can't just… take money from an ATM!" said Buffy. "It's stealing."

"Why?" the Doctor asked. "I must have at least that much in the TARDIS in alien currency. And now you can go back to school."

Buffy grabbed up the cash from the table, and thrust it into the Doctor's hands. "Give it back. Tell the bank… their ATM malfunctioned, or something. And don't worry about money, because that's why I got a job!"

"But you don't need a job!" the Doctor insisted. "You save the world. I'm just seeing you get paid for it." He grinned at her, and winked. "Sides. Banks are great big corporations with lots of capital investment. Something like this? Won't even miss it." He waved his sonic at her. "Specially not after I'm done with their computers."

Damn. Stupid he may sound, sometimes… but the Doctor did usually know exactly what he was doing.

This, apparently, was no exception.

"You _know_ it's stealing!" Buffy accused.

"Well, like I said," the Doctor put in. "You've been working for humanity for years, now. Bout time you got a paycheck."

Buffy wanted to hit her head on something. "Doctor, if you're going to stay in one place, you can't _do_ stuff like this, anymore," she said. "Someone's going to notice."

* * *

The ATM theft _was_ noticed.

But the Doctor had covered his tracks exceptionally well. Nothing to tie him to it. No evidence. No chance of a conviction.

The Sunnydale police, who were used to dealing with crimes that had inconclusive evidence that seemed to lead to impossible things they couldn't deal with, dropped the case almost immediately.

Except… for one person.

An undercover agent. Who noticed the signs. The patterns. The alien technology, the far-too-clever encryption codes, the complete lack of evidence as to who had done it.

And called up his buddies.

"Watchers Council Elite Squad?" said the policeman, into the phone. "I found him."

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Martha's World:

Dawn gasped, as she washed up on the shores of Iceland. Looked over at the person who'd pulled her from the ocean.

Faith.

Andrew lay on the beach, gasping. He was shuddering against the pain from his shoulder, salt water drenching his wound.

Dawn looked back at Faith, a little panicked. "Xander? Kennedy?"

Faith nodded over at a figure, some ways out at sea. A figure splashing his way onto the beach, drenched and burned, his hair half scorched off his head. But still alive.

Xander.

"Kennedy?" Dawn asked, in a small voice.

Xander shook his head.

Everyone took this in. Not sure what to say. What to do. Kennedy… dead.

Like so many others.

If they let the grief over her death consume them, they knew they'd never be able to cope. Grieve later. Save the world, now.

"We got to Iceland," Faith offered. Her eyes fixed into the distance. "Only a zillion and a half more miles to go."

"Hang on, I have a map!" said Xander, reaching into his pocket. Then brought out the mush that used to be his map. " _Had_ a map," Xander corrected.

"We… better light a fire, or something," said Dawn. She shivered, trying to stop her teeth from chattering. "I… can't feel my feet, anymore."

Faith blinked. Then seemed to notice that Dawn wasn't exactly as okay as they'd all thought. Jumped up. "Yeah, fire, right," she said. "Gotcha. Five by five." She spun around, and rushed off, trying to disguise the shivering that was overcoming her, as well.

Xander wrapped Dawn up in a tight hug. "Body heat," he offered.

"And here I was thinking you were just happy I survived," Dawn said, through chattering teeth.

"That, too," said Xander.

A moan of pain, from Andrew, not far off. "I'm dying over here!" he complained.

"Fine by us!" Xander called back. "Everyone in this group — except Dawn — is cannon fodder."

Dawn wanted to snap something back to this, but she was already feeling the numbness spreading. And knew… if they didn't get a fire going, soon… Seo was going to be on her own with the portal-building.

* * *

Buffy and the others had to flee Nottingham in a hurry. Before they'd had a chance to gather any food. Which meant that, now, they were out in the middle of nowhere, still alive and free but with nothing to eat.

Time to forage.

Buffy had taken a turn. Then Seo, the next day.

Today, it was Luke's turn.

So, naturally, he'd asked Alison to come along.

"We can take our turns together, see," Luke explained. "Both go out, both days. That way, we'll be twice as effective, and it'll take us half the time!"

Alison had thought it was a brilliant idea.

It was Alison who'd come up with the idea of using bits of shoelace as a string for a bow. Then sharpening arrows from the branches of a tree.

"It has to be a matter of velocities," Luke put in, as Alison tried to aim the bow-and-arrow. "Arcs. The birds fly at a constant speed of acceleration, and if you time the arrow just right, you're certain to hit."

He'd done the calculations. Worked it all out.

"Now!" Luke shouted.

Alison shot the arrow. Watched, as it struck its target.

"Bulls-eye!" she cried.

Alison and Luke grinned at one another, then rushed off to grab up their dinner.

"You know, you and I make a really great team," Alison commented, as they searched for the fallen bird. "The two of us… just…"

"Think in complimentary thought patterns?" Luke offered.

Alison gave him a sideways grin. "Funny thing is — that whole time, with the Furies, we never even noticed one another," she said. Her cheer fell, a hair. "Took a tragedy like this to actually get us together."

Remembering — those nights, when they'd been alone and it had hit them. Alison — that her dad was dead. And Luke — that his mum was dead. When they'd reached out for one another, found comfort just being together, in this horrible world.

Remembering the times they'd wandered about, trying desperately to out-geek one another, because it was all they could do to distract themselves from the planetary destruction around them.

Remembering those times, fleeing from the Toclafane, when they'd each unconsciously grabbed the other's hands.

Just like now. Running through the woodlands, looking for a shot-down bird. And they'd… somehow… managed to wind up holding hands, again.

"This… cognitive symbiosis we seem to have developed with one another," Luke put in. "We… should do something about it."

"Yes!" Alison cried. "I was just thinking that. When we get back to London, we should open a crime-fighting, problem-solving detective office, and…" She stopped. Blinked. The smile falling from her face.

As she remembered… that there wouldn't be a London, at the end of this.

That this was the world, now.

"I… just keep forgetting," Alison muttered, slowing in her run, and stopping. "Even if we fix this, the world's still been destroyed."

"But we _will_ fix this," Luke said. "Seo can banish the Toclafane."

Alison sighed. "Don't get me started on Seo and the Toclafane."

At this point, she was wondering if Seo was even planning to send those Toclafane away, at all, when they met up with Dawn. The way Seo insisted the Toclafane could be made better, the way she spoke to them…

Alison shook her head. "You don't think the Toclafane are anything like her, right?"

"Of course not," said Luke. "They kill people. And enjoy it."

"Maybe… this is just… some sympathy she has for aliens who don't fit in with the human world," Alison proposed. "Maybe… maybe it's _our_ faults, for making her feel like she isn't one of us. Maybe she's—"

"Maybe her mind just works differently from ours," Luke proposed. "And we won't ever understand." He thought back to that time when he'd first met Seo, and she'd known all the answers to the maths problems, but been unable to solve an equation.

"Alien brain," Alison agreed.

Luke and Alison met one another's eyes.

They didn't need to be telepathic to understand what one another were thinking. It was just… the way they were. Two human beings, who happened to think along similar lines.

"Just… thanks," Alison said. "For being here. You're easy to talk to." She suddenly realized what she'd just said, and added, quickly, "Not that I'm saying Seo isn't. After all, she's my best friend. And I certainly like people who've been created, are somewhat impossible, vastly intelligent, a radically different age than they appear, and—"

Luke turned Alison around, and kissed her.

For a few moments, neither of them spoke. Just staring at one another.

Then Alison grabbed him up, and gave him a real, proper snog.

Funny thing.

Turns out… taking their turns together… took at least three times longer than if they'd gone alone.


	27. Chapter 27

Seo's World:

The embarrassing thing _wasn't_ that the Doctor gotten caught up in a mess of trouble. That was the entire reason he was out here in the first place.

The embarrassing thing was… the trouble he'd gotten himself into wasn't the trouble he'd wanted.

"Oh, not you lot, again!" the Doctor complained, putting up his hands as Collins, Weathersby, and Smith encircled him, guns all aimed at his head. "You wouldn't happen to have seen some incredibly dangerous lady hanging about here wearing a red dress, would you? I'm looking for her."

He could thank Xander for that bit of information. He'd been baiting Xander for ages, now, trying to get something out of him. And, finally, a very angry, very belligerent Xander had snapped, and started shouting at the Doctor for being an irresponsible jerk who wouldn't even help Buffy find 'Red Dress Lady'. And thrown a second Dagon's Sphere at his head.

The Doctor had used the energy signature from the second Dagon's Sphere to find this particular location. A pile of rubble — that had once been a warehouse.

"By order of the Watchers Council," Collins said to the Doctor, "you are being taken into custody until such time as they see fit to release you. Your rights are forfeit. Your life is up for negotiation. Do you understand?"

"Oh, don't be thick!" the Doctor snapped at them. "There's something out there, something—"

"I said," Collins cut in, finger pressing down a little on the trigger, "do you understand?"

The Doctor was silent for a long moment. They'd shot him last time. He wasn't too keen for them to do it, again.

"Yes," the Doctor hissed, surrendering.

He was grabbed, twisted around and slammed against the chain link fence, hands handcuffed behind his back. The three humans discussing shipment speeds and transit options, as they threw him to the ground and began to bind him with ropes and other restraints, just to ensure he didn't escape.

"You actually really don't want to do that!" the Doctor warned them. "I'm not just here mucking about, you know. I've been tracking something terribly dangerous. By showing up, here, you're putting all your lives at risk, and I—"

The gag suddenly thrust into his mouth stopped him from warning them any further.

"And before you get any bright ideas," said Weathersby, "we've already arranged for your friends to be otherwise occupied. By the time they notice you're gone, you'll be properly secured in England."

"You can't escape as easily as last time," Smith added.

Last time. With Faith.

The Doctor wondered what had happened to Faith. He hoped that the Watchers' Council Elite Squad had never found her. That she was still running about, free, somewhere.

He'd mentioned this to Buffy, once.

_That_ was a mistake he wasn't likely to make twice.

"Clear out his pockets," Collins instructed the others. "Council's orders."

And it was only while they were bent over, extracting and sifting through the copious contents of the Doctor's pockets, that the Doctor saw her.

Curly blond hair. Gray eyes. A red dress and heels. A rather deranged smile on her face, as if all this was simply a joke to her.

The Doctor tried to warn them. Tried to shout at these thick-headed humans that they were about to die, and they had to release him at once — or, at the very least, just turn around!

All he got, for his efforts, was a smack on the head.

"We can make life very difficult for you, Doctor," Collins warned, "if you—"

His warning was cut off by a sudden gasp and a scream, as the Red Dress Lady clamped her hands around his head. No, not 'around'… _inside_ his head! A burst of swirling, ectoplasmic light shot out of his head and drained into the blond woman, who groaned with satisfaction as he writhed beneath her.

When she let him go, he dropped to the floor. Eyes wild. Jabbering nonsense, half sobbing as he scurried away.

"Oh, I never get tired of that!" said Red Dress Lady, with a grin, as she finished absorbing the energy from Collins' mind.

Weathersby and Smith, staring in shock at what had just happened, opened fire on the woman. But the bullets, although clearly making her angry, had no damaging effect on her whatsoever.

She rolled her eyes, grabbing them both up by the shirts and jerking them towards her.

The violence and unexpectedness with which she did it caught them off guard, and their guns clattered to the ground.

"Do you _mind_?!" she said.

"What… what do you…?" Smith asked, a tremble in his voice.

"Want?" the woman guessed. "Spit it out, shrimpy. No, actually — why am I even talking to you?" She tossed him away, with a force that flung him fifty feet back, where he impaled against a bent pipe sticking out of the rubble.

With a horrified gasp, he died.

She turned her full attention on Weathersby. "And as for you..." She nodded over at the restrained Doctor, who was now trying, frantically, to free himself. "That the Time Lord?"

Weathersby kept his expression unreadable.

Red Dress Lady grabbed up his finger, bent it backwards until it snapped. Weathersby tried to suck in the pain, but Red Dress Lady wasn't finished. She snapped the next. And then the next.

Talking, all the while.

"…and you're just being so selfish," SNAP, "while I'm suffering, here! Me! In pain!" SNAP. "I mean, do you think I _want_ to be here? This whole mortal coil, it's disgusting. And you…" A knee to the groin, "aren't helping me get out of it!"

The Doctor had finally managed to get his hands on the sonic screwdriver, which they'd taken from his pockets and left on the floor, not far away. With only a few quick buzzes, he was free, and popped up to his feet, facing down the woman with dark eyes.

He pointed his sonic at her.

"Let him go," he demanded.

Red Dress Lady looked delighted, as she took in the sonic screwdriver, the Doctor, and the discarded restraints. "That answers that question," she said. And snapped Weathersby's neck.

As the body dropped to the ground, the Doctor could feel himself shaking with suppressed fury. "That wasn't necessary!" he said. "You didn't have to—"

"Oh, shut up!" groaned the woman.

And with a single punch, knocked the Doctor out cold.

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Martha's World:

"I wonder if Jane Austen ever envisioned this place swarming with Toclafane," said Seo, as they stepped into Mansfield. The city had already begun to be disassembled, the houses stripped for any amounts of scrap materials the Master could find to build his rockets.

"I never liked _Mansfield Park_ ," said Alison. "Fanny was annoying and basically nothing happened in terms of plot."

"There was a lot to do with the 'ha-ha'," Luke mentioned. "That I remember."

"My teachers thought I was mad when I said Austen should have shoved a few aliens in there," said Alison. She made a hand gesture. "Slap a Slitheen on Fanny Price and her annoying family, and… bang! That's something I'd pay to see."

"Could you guys please stop with the geek-off?" said Buffy. She felt her head spinning. "Geeze. I mean, I know you're all bookworms and stuff, but seriously…" She trailed off, as she noticed Seo, standing very still, staring at a gigantic poster that had been hung against the side of a wall.

A poster saying, "Your Master is your god."

And a large picture of Harold Saxon, smiling.

Buffy hesitated. Put a hand on Seo's shoulder. She could see Seo trembling. "Seo…"

"A god," said Seo. She spun around, her eyes staring at Buffy, incredulous, shocked, bitter. "He wants to be a god!"

"Yeah, but if he _was_ a god, that'd be great for you, right?" said Buffy, with a grin. "You're all with the taking-down-gods."

Seo opened her mouth to speak, again, but no sound came out. She just mouthed one word, over and over again. _Why_?

"For those of us who aren't part human, part alien, part dimensional key, and part evil-hell-goddess," said Alison, "the idea of being a god actually sounds pretty cool."

"All powerful," Luke agreed. "All knowing."

Seo shuddered. Then turned, and ran.

Alison and Luke exchanged a look. Sometimes… Seo was just so… alien. So… different.

Buffy tried to rush after Seo. Hand outstretched. But the moment she turned a corner…

A swarm of UFC troops sprung out of nowhere, shooting at them. Alison, Luke, and Buffy scattered.

Ran for their lives.

* * *

"I've confirmed it," ADC Dexter reported to the Master, up on the deck of the Valiant. "Faith Lehane. She's a Slayer, employed by Hiskaloph. That's what Hiskaloph was talking about, at her execution. When she said faith was the key to your downfall. Whatever the actual key to your downfall is, Faith is the one delivering it."

"Delivering it to Elizabeth," the Master said, looking down on the world beneath him.

ADC Dexter nodded, officiously.

"As if just 'having faith', in and of itself, would be enough to actually defeat me!" laughed the Master, turning back to the Doctor. "Oh, you really had me going, there. For a while, I thought you honestly didn't have a plan!"

The Doctor didn't answer.

The Master turned to ADC Dexter. "Brilliant, you are," he said. "How about I give you… a dukedom? No, wait. A sub-mastery." He beamed. "I like that. 'Sub-mastery'. I'll make you the sub-master of… Switzerland. No, Sweden!" He pushed past her. "Meantime… I think it's time to have another little chat with rupity-Rupert. See if he can tell me anything about a certain 'Faith Lehane.'"

* * *

"Where's Buffy?" asked Alison, as she ran into Luke and Seo, after they finally managed to lose the UFC.

"No idea," said Luke. "We've been searching, but… nothing."

Alison hesitated. Should they all stay and search for Buffy — risk the rest of them getting caught? Or should Alison send Luke with Seo to keep heading to Scotland, while Alison stayed behind to rescue Buffy?

"There they are!" shouted a voice behind them.

Too late.

"Run!" shouted Seo, as the sound of gunfire started up, again. They raced forward, trying to outrun the soldiers, zigzagging across the rubble and darting beneath as much cover as they could.

The loud honk of a lorry lurching by, just slow enough that Alison could jump on the back. With a leap, she managed to claw her way inside, grabbing up Luke and yanking him in. Then the lorry began to accelerate, speeding forward, as Luke and Alison reached out to Seo.

"Come on!" shouted Alison.

But Seo stumbled, beneath the gunfire, tripped and fell, blood pouring from her leg. Alison's jaw dropped open. She prepared to launch herself out of the lorry, but was tugged back by a UFC guard who came up from behind.

"Where d'you think you're going?" said the UFC guard.

Alison looked about herself. And realized, with horror, that she and Luke weren't alone, here. But were one of a handful of refugees, all being carted off somewhere.

"You're going to the Leeds labor camp, along with the rest of 'em," snapped the UFC guard. Tossing Alison aside. "Don't cause trouble, or we'll be forced to shoot."

The UFCAs slammed the back of the lorry shut. Plunging everyone into darkness.

Alison sought out Luke. Huddled closer to him. Taking it all in.

Seo was dead or caught. Buffy was out of action. Their plans to save the world had crumbled into nothing. And the two of them… were now off to create rockets.

Brilliant world savers, they were.


	28. Chapter 28

Martha's World:

Seo was surrounded by UFC troopers. Troopers who forced her up to her feet, securing her hands behind her back, harshly twisting her around to face them.

"Do we shoot Summers, now, or does the Master want her alive?" asked one of the UFCAs.

"He said alive," said another. "But she's dangerous. Which means, I'm guessing he really just wants her out of the way." He aimed his rifle. "I say… we…" He paused, hesitated. Looked down at his partner, who was staring at Seo's leg in disbelief. "What?"

"It's… the wrong color," the partner said. He stepped back, his hand trembling. "Her blood. It's… the same color… as…" The partner glanced up at the sky.

Seo struggled. Managed to break free from them, turned around, and attempted to run, but her leg seared with pain, and she stumbled. The UFC troopers rushed her, tackling her to the ground, wrestling with her until she was physically pinned down, and couldn't move.

Not without activating certain Glory-level-energy-reserves… that she refused to activate.

"Double pulse," said a UFCA, picking up her wrist. "She's definitely like him."

They all paused, digesting this. Staring at Seo, who was thinking fast, trying to think up some way to get out of this.

"We better tell the Valiant," said a UFCA, picking up his radio.

"No, let's not," said another, snatching the radio from the first. He grinned. "I say… we keep her for ourselves. Our little secret."

Seo's hearts beat faster. She tried to get free, but one of the UFC troopers punched down at her injured leg, and she stifled a scream.

"Hard to kill a Time Lord, you know," said the UFCA who'd snatched up the radio. "If we figure out how to kill her and make it stick… we'll know how to kill the Master."

The next UFCA's remark was cut short, as he was kicked in the stomach and smashed against the wall.

There, in his place, was a very angry-looking Buffy Summers. And, behind her, a group of armed survivors.

"She's not like the Master," Buffy said. "She's like _me_. Difference is, when she kills someone…" Buffy punched out at the next UFCA, who'd raised up his gun, knocking the firearm away, "she gets grounded. But when I kill someone, I don't."

The UFC troopers raised up their rifles.

Buffy glanced back at the survivors. "You want food?" she asked. She nodded at the UFC troopers. "They've been escorting a supply truck. Get through them, make them talk, and you'll be able to eat for a month."

The survivors looked at one another. Cowering in fear.

Then one of them darted forwards, desperation in his face, sheer misery in his eyes. "Rather die trying!" he shouted.

The others surged with him, all striking out at the UFC, trying to snatch up guns and ammunition, trying to make the UFCAs talk so the survivors could get the food for themselves.

Buffy, meanwhile, flipped, kicked and punched her way through the UFCAs. Using every bit of grace, agility, and instincts to dart out of the way of the gunshots, and knock out the soldiers.

Standing between Slayer Mom and her only child?

The UFCAs never stood a chance.

Buffy punched the UFC trooper with the radio, then smashed the radio underfoot. Grabbed Seo up, in her arms, and raced for one of the nearby UFC vans, idling beside them.

"The Toclafane will shoot us down, when they notice we're not UFC," Seo hissed, wincing in pain. "No cars for normal people."

"You can't walk," said Buffy. "And we need to get out of here. I'm chancing it."

She shoved Seo into the car, then raced to the driver's side, and hopped in. Shifted the car out of park, and floored it.

These UFC troopers were seriously stupid. Leaving the keys in the ignition? It's like they were _asking_ for a car-jacking.

The UFC troopers began to shout. Chase after Buffy and Seo. Then began shooting, hoping to hit the tires or maybe even Seo and Buffy, themselves.

Buffy swerved the car around a corner, and managed to lose them.

"Luke and Alison," said Buffy. "Where are they?"

"On a lorry!" said Seo. "Filled with people. Headed down the A618."

Buffy could guess where that was taking them. The survivors, here, had told her enough about what was going on that Buffy knew where they were all getting shipped.

"But… but what about…?" Seo glanced back, in the mirror, trying to catch sight of the fight still going on.

"The survivors will take care of the UFC," said Buffy, stubbornly refusing to look back. "We have to get Alison and Luke."

"Those UFCAs know what I am!" Seo whispered. She huddled up, in the seat of the car. "They'll tell the Master."

"Yeah, probably," Buffy agreed. "And he'll probably believe it about as much as I did, when I first saw you." She glanced over at Seo. "Time Lords are telepathic, Seo. They've got weird connection thingies in their heads saying if there's another one around. A connection thingy you don't give off."

Seo didn't answer.

"Lucky for us," said Buffy, eyes back on the road, "you're _not_ a Time Lord. You're just Seo." Her hands tightened on the wheel, the knuckles turning white. "And I'm sticking to that."

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Seo's World:

The Doctor woke to a sharp slap across his face.

"…said WAKE UP!" the woman in the red dress screamed.

The Doctor opened his eyes, to discover… another warehouse. This one still standing. He'd been strung up, dangling from the ceiling like a slice of meat, arms and legs restrained. And the woman with the red dress looked just as deranged as before.

"There we go," she said, a false smile on her face. "So, Time Lord. You're one thing I never expected to find in this reality. Lucky for me that I did."

"Who are you?" the Doctor demanded.

She laughed. "Like you don't know! Come on, Time Twit! You're smart, you work it out." She grabbed up his chin, glaring into his eyes. "Now. Shut up about _your_ problems for two seconds. And tell me." She leaned in even closer, and in a menacing voice, demanded, "Where is it?"

By which… presumably… she meant Seo.

Right.

Time to play dumb, then.

"Where's what?" the Doctor asked.

"Don't play stupid with me," said the woman. "I know about the Moment. I know about the War. You eradicated your own people — wiped them out of time and space. Like they never even existed in the first place! That makes you completely outside of reality, and that means… you can see it."

The Doctor stared at her. Trying to mask the wave of horror that washed over him, as she told him, in brutal honesty, exactly what he'd done.

To his own people.

His home.

The woman stepped away from him, a little surprised. "What? You didn't know?" She groaned. "Don't tell me I got some earlier regeneration!"

"Actually, I lost—" the Doctor began.

"Yeah, don't care!" the woman snapped, pacing the room in front of him. "You mortals and your stupid little problems. The world doesn't revolve around just you, you know, Doctor! I want my Key, you're going to give it to me, and — if you think your White Guardian friend's gonna stick up for you, then you're wrong. Because that loser is long gone."

The Doctor felt a sudden dread surging through him. "You… know me, then," he confirmed.

She swung around, smacking him across the face. "Would you shut up about yourself, already?" she shouted. "God, of all that worthless, self-obsessed, arrogant bunch of Time Jerks, I had to get stuck with an egomaniac like you!"

"Who are you?" the Doctor tried, again.

The woman studied him, carefully. "You really don't know who I am," she said. She leaned in to him, running her hand across his face with mock affection. "Your people called me the _Meyomelae Krvas_."

"Mistress of Fear," the Doctor translated. "Which means you're either very scary, or that you become completely petrified with fear over any little—"

He was cut off by a punch slamming into his stomach, so hard it felt like a bulldozer had struck him at 200 miles an hour.

"It means you should be afraid of me, Time Loser," said the woman. "Because I am all exultant, all powerful, all glorious, and you are the skinny streak of nothing who blew up his own planet." She paused. A smile sliding up her face. "You know, I've always wanted to brain suck a Time Lord."

Brain suck. That must be… what happened to Collins, then.

In only a second, the woman had closed on him, running her hands along his head. "And one as old as you must have so much…" She stopped. Froze. "But… but there should be more… more…" Then yanked her hands away.

Stepped back.

Stared.

"You… actually don't remember!" the woman realized. She began to laugh. "Oh, those Monks! I can't believe it! They couldn't alter your memories, so they took them all away! Made sure you couldn't tell me what just appeared, out of the blue, with no explanation whatsoever."

The Doctor said nothing.

"But I know you can see the Key," said the woman. "They can blank your memories. But they can't undo what you did with the Moment. You're completely outside of reality. You can see what I'm looking for. And you're sane enough to tell me where and what it is."

"How can I see?" the Doctor asked. "What does it look like?"

"Like you don't know!" said the woman, with a groan. She gave him another punch, which made every cell of his body reverberate under the impact. "You can't fool me into thinking you're an idiot. You've seen it, you've already figured it all out, and you're just being _selfish_ , and not telling me!" A slap across the face.

The Doctor gasped for breath. Trying to get his thoughts in order.

"What… is… the Key?" he asked.

"It's…" the woman stopped. Sudden realization crashing across her. "Oh." Then she started laughing. "Oh! That is rich!"

The Doctor quirked an eyebrow at her. Completely barmy, this one was.

"The Monks didn't just blank your memory!" said the woman. "They convinced you that you were a good person! The kind of guy who'd never blab about their little secret. Who'd stand up to any amount of physical torture, so he could make sure I never got my Key." The woman grinned. "But I heard about the real you. The you from the Time War."

A feeling of dread began to mount in the Doctor's stomach. As he noticed the gleam in the woman's eyes.

"How about," said the woman, "I tell you who you _really_ are. Jog your memory." She grabbed him by the arm, twirled him around to face her. "And anytime you want me to stop… you can tell me where my Key is."

* * *

Buffy was furious.

"Haven't you learned _anything_ about the Doctor by now?" she said to Xander, as they stormed towards the warehouse that had collapsed. "When he's trying to pick a fight with you, he's only doing it to get information! And you told him about my Big Bad!"

"I didn't say very much!" Xander protested, racing after her. "I definitely didn't mention anything at all about the warehouse."

"You threw that Dagon's Sphere at him!" said Buffy. "The Doctor knew it was connected to Red Dress Lady. He's probably figured out some way to use it to find her!"

Sure enough.

The moment they arrived at the warehouse, Buffy found an abandoned Dagon's Sphere outside the gate. Left there, as if the Doctor had been meaning to pick it up, later.

She'd been right.

The Doctor had worked out that she was tracking down a Big Bad she was _seriously_ worried about and — in typical Doctor fashion — had raced off to track it down, himself, with no weapons and no plan.

And now… thanks to that 'anonymous tip' that had made her and the others drive to some remote location two hours away, hoping to find out something useful about Red Dress Lady, and, in the end, finding out nothing at all… Buffy hadn't even known the Doctor was out looking for danger until four hours after he'd started.

She raced forwards, towards the pile of rubble that had once been a warehouse…

Then stopped. As she saw the bodies.

Xander stopped, just behind her. His eyes wide.

"Okay," he said. "I guess… we don't have to worry about the Watchers' Council thugs, anymore."

Buffy stooped down, noting the ropes, the contents of the Doctor's pockets, the abandoned sonic screwdriver… all still left on the ground. Beside a small pool of blood. The wrong color blood.

"Someone killed those two," said Buffy, "and that someone definitely wasn't the Doctor." She stood up, straight. "Which means… whoever she is… she found him."

"Right when the Watchers' Council thugs had set up an ambush," said Xander. He shook his head. "And made sure we were way too far away to do anything."

Buffy tucked the sonic into her back pocket, and grabbed out a flashlight, instead. Shining it along the ground, so she could see the trail of blood, and where it was leading.

"Come on," she told Xander, as she raced off.

* * *

The woman wasn't there, anymore.

The Doctor was. He was lying on the ground. Tied up, bloody, and bruised. His suit torn, his hair damp with blood. He'd curled in on himself.

He was silent. Unmoving.

Those were what scared Buffy the most.

"Oh, God," said Xander, approaching behind her.

Buffy ran over to him, her breath coming fast. "Doctor?" No answer. She knelt down, trying to roll him over onto his back, make sure he was all right. "Doctor, please…"

He shrunk away from her touch. Curling in on himself, tighter.

"Buffy," said Xander. "The… crazy people. You don't think… he's…?"

Buffy bit her lip. Xander was right. Any time Red Dress Lady met anyone, that person wound up either dead or insane. And… if the Doctor wasn't dead…

"Doctor," said Buffy, very softly. "It's… me. Buffy. Your… Elizabeth. I'm here to help."

Silence.

Then, so faint that Buffy almost couldn't hear it—

"You lied to me."

Next thing she knew, she was staring into two bitterly angry, dark brown eyes. A face so pained and emotionally shattered, it took her breath away.

"I…" Buffy started.

"You said I was a good person," the Doctor snapped. "The best kind of person. So why? Why did you lie to me?"

Buffy was lost for words.

"The Oncoming Storm," the Doctor said. "The Destroyer of Worlds. All the lives. All the deaths. Everything I've wiped out. Everyone I've slaughtered…"

"You had to," said Buffy. "It wasn't…"

"The genocides!" the Doctor cut in. "Not one. _Multiple_ genocides. Species I've single-handedly destroyed. Civilizations I've crushed. Empires I've shattered. Galaxies I've ripped apart. And… the Moment… I used the Moment… to torture billions… over and over again…"

Buffy reached out to comfort him, but he squirmed away.

"She told me," said the Doctor, "who I was. What I did, during the Time War. And I knew… as soon as she said it… that it was true. I did all those things. I am what she said."

"Where is she, now?" Xander asked, before the Doctor could launch himself back into guilt-trip central.

The Doctor's eyes drifted over to Xander. "Gone," he said. "Decided… I was a waste of her time. Not worth the effort." His eyes locked on Buffy. "Left me. As a warning. For you."

"Left you alive," said Xander, "with no case of the crazies."

The Doctor breathed, slowly, painfully. "So I could tell you… who she is," he agreed. "What my people called her. And why." He took in another pained breath. "The _Meyomelae Krvas_. Mistress of Fear."


	29. Chapter 29

Martha's World:

Alison was pulled away from the others, when she got to the labor camp. All her possessions stolen from her. She was stripped. Given a cold shower, a gray uniform, and a shelf inside a cage, to sleep on.

She didn't know what happened to Luke.

They put her to work, on an assembly line. Made her work long hours, twisting caps onto cylinders that came down a chute. No bathroom breaks, no chance to catch her breath, and almost no food.

By the end of the day, her hands ached. Her back was killing her. And her feet felt so heavy, they dragged along the ground with every step.

So this… was slavery.

When Alison had been free, outside the labor camp, she'd seen the Toclafane and the UFC — the middlemen. She'd blamed _them_.

But _this_ was courtesy of the Master, himself. No one else she could blame this on but him.

She wished she knew where Luke had gotten to.

Alison tried speaking to the people around her, sometimes. Hoping they'd lift her spirits. Make her feel better. But they were even more worn-down than she was. Their mindset even more defeatist and weary.

They had no hope.

What was there to look forward to? Who was there to believe in?

"There's… someone out there," Alison said. "Her name… it's Martha. Martha Jones. My friend, Seo, she says — Martha knows how to save the world."

Then tried not to think about Seo. Gunned down in the street.

"How?" asked the labor camp residents.

Alison hesitated. She knew that Martha's plan was to tell stories. That Martha needed everyone to help spread her message throughout the world. It seemed utterly ridiculous. But if Seo was gone, and Buffy was dead, and the Toclafane were there to stay…

Then Martha's plan was all they had left.

Alison didn't know the Doctor. But she'd heard Buffy, during this journey, talking about him. Telling Alison and all the survivors they encountered about all those impossible things the Doctor had managed to pull off.

If he could do all that… then maybe… just maybe…

"Let me tell you a story," Alison said.

* * *

It wasn't just that the work was menial, degrading, ongoing, and repetitive.

It was that the entire strategy was fundamentally flawed.

"But wouldn't you get more efficient workers," Luke argued, "if you treated us _well_?"

He was beaten for that.

It didn't make sense. According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, using certain need-based incentives would be more than enough to make people actually _want_ to work here. After all, out there, people had to hide from Toclafane, fight for food, and could only just barely manage to survive.

While labor camps weren't pleasant, they certainly did provide shelter. Protection from the Toclafane. Food for those who were hungry. Clothing. Even medical help (to a degree).

So why were these UFC guards employing so much brutality and violence? Why not just tell them that if they didn't work, they wouldn't be offered these particular needs and comforts?

"The UFC wants us to remember we're prisoners," one of the other workers explained to Luke. "Slaves. Even more so than they are."

"So, it's not a motivation tool," Luke said. He frowned. "It's a psychological need to assert dominance, due to a fundamental insecurity about their own self-worth — or their worth in the Master's eyes, rather."

The others around him just blinked at him, blankly. Then pretended they hadn't heard.

Luke wished he knew where Alison had gotten to.

But he didn't.

Once known as being one of the cleverest people in the world, able to outsmart the Slitheen and the Gorgons and all sorts of alien monsters, and now… Luke was stuck in a labor camp, building weapons in the ruined remains of his world. A slave of the tyrant who'd killed his mum.

Seo was gone. Buffy was probably dead. He'd lost Alison. There was no one else to believe in, now. No one… except…

The one person his mum always believed in.

Luke had never met the Doctor. But his mum had told him stories. Stories about the enigmatic time traveler who'd whisked Luke's mum away, when she was young, taken her out into the stars.

So Luke gathered the other workers together, despite being weary and tired and worn out, and told them the same.

About how, in the 70's, there had been another time when London had been evacuated and empty and abandoned. Dinosaurs had begun appearing in the streets of London, and no one could figure out why or how to stop them.

Until the Doctor and Luke's mum had shown up.

* * *

The Master burst out laughing.

"These humans!" he said. "They see one two-hearted alien, and, next thing you know, they just assume every alien with two hearts is exactly the same." He grinned. "Thick, the lot of them."

Rupert Giles, barely conscious, lying in a pool of his own blood, didn't answer.

"That the plan, then?" asked the Master. "Give your little slayer some target practice on alien life forms, so she can board the Valiant and go after me?"

Still no answer from Giles.

The Master kicked his prone form. "Useless," he muttered. "Honestly, don't know why I even bother. Should just slice you up and throw you out with the rest of the rubbish."

"Then why don't you?" Giles rasped, through blood-soaked lips.

The Master grinned. "Nu-uh-uh!" he sing-songed. "Not until I catch your sweet little Elizabeth." He leaned in, closer. Whispered, "What I've done to you is just practice for what I'm planning to do to her."

Giles surged forwards, trying to throttle the Master, but the Master kicked him back with ease.

"Still got some fire left in you after all," the Master mused, as he strolled out of the room. "Interesting."

* * *

The Toclafane had tracked down Buffy and Seo's car, a fourth of the way there. Buffy had swerved the car, then rolled it, purposely, so it landed in a ditch. Pulling Seo out of the wreckage before the Toclafane had a chance to fire.

Thank you, insane Doctor driving lessons!

They found cover in the ruins of Clowne. Sought out survivors — the resistance. People who could help them.

"We're friends of Martha's," Buffy said, helping Seo into the shelter. "We're here to help."

One of the survivors, thankfully, was a surgeon. He'd gotten the bullet out of Seo's leg. Buffy knew Seo would be walking wounded for a little while, but it'd only take maybe a day or two to heal.

Seo could heal remarkably quickly, when she wanted to.

The moment Seo could get back on her feet, she and Buffy set off, again. Headed towards Leeds. The endless English countryside stretching on, before them, and every second they delayed, every moment they waited…

Who knew what could be happening to Alison and Luke?

"There are towns we can visit, along the way," said Buffy. "Tell stories. Like Martha told us."

Just the way Buffy had been doing, this whole time. Not understanding how the plan was supposed to work, but it was the Doctor's plan, and she believed in him. Martha said it would fix this.

So… it just… had to.

Even if it was impossible.

* * *

"—at which point, every single vampire in the world began to glow golden," Alison explained to the crowd gathering nearby. "Razor realized that he'd just linked every vampire in a psychic singularity, and that the Doctor, by triggering the regeneration process in one, had triggered it in all of them. And you can't regenerate without a soul. So, in only a matter of minutes, the Doctor managed to wipe out the entire evil vampire army and save the human race." She grinned. "And that's the same Doctor who's going to save us."

They were all shocked. Floored. Not sure if they could quite believe it.

"I… remember when that happened," one of the men, nearby, chimed in. "There was this… mugger, or so I thought. Someone terribly strong, incredibly fast, with yellow eyes. Then he just… burned away, in an instant."

"That was because of the Doctor," Alison agreed. "And if we all use the countdown, and believe in him, he'll be able to do it, again. Just like he did, when Buffy believed in him in that cave, facing down the vampires. He'll be able to save us and stop the Master."

And Alison believed it. Because she had to believe it. Because it was all she had left.

Later that evening, Alison was lying on her shelf, nearly asleep, when she heard a voice, nearby. A voice that said, "Your stories. They're like the ones the boy tells."

Alison shot up, wide awake. "What… who…?"

But by the time Alison had asked, the man had already vanished.

And so began Alison's search for Luke.

Whenever she was off-shift, whenever she had a spare moment, whenever she could stand to take another few steps, she would go out. Searching. Asking if anyone had seen a boy telling stories about the Doctor.

And then, when Alison thought she'd searched all the sections and still hadn't found him, she ducked into a cage, and discovered… a familiar voice.

"…and when the moon went into eclipse," Luke was saying, "the Doctor wore a mask and pretended he was Hieronymous, summoning that ball of Mandragora energy. But when the ball came down, it consumed the Brethren, instead of…"

Luke stopped. Stared. As he spotted Alison, across the cage.

And despite being tired, worn out, hungry, and at the ends of their ropes, they both raced to one another, and swept each other up in a tight embrace.

Never wanting to let each other go.


	30. Chapter 30

Martha's World:

There were a lot more Toclafane in Iceland than in Greenland.

It was more than that, of course. This was the first place Dawn had come to where there were enough people to warrant actual effort on the Master's part. Houses were being dismantled, metal and raw material torn out of them, sent to the labor camps to build missiles and rockets.

The people Dawn saw were attired in scraps and rags. Racing through the streets, scrambling for food, then darting back to cover as quickly as they could.

"Now that we're out of Greenland," Dawn said, in a quiet voice, "shouldn't we start telling stories and spreading hope, like Martha wants us to do?"

Xander's eyes lingered on the destroyed town, fingers tapping, subconsciously. "What hope?" he asked.

Faith said nothing. Her expression hard, unmoving, unyielding.

"I… I didn't think…" Andrew shook his head. "This… isn't really happening, right? It's not… can't be… I mean, there has to be some way…"

Dawn closed her eyes, with a heavy sigh.

It was real. All too real.

No one could take back what had happened to the world.

"Buffy!" Andrew cried. "She'll fix it. Make it better again. Just like she did, before, remember? The First came, and then she—"

"She won the battle against the First," said Faith. "But that didn't bring anyone back."

Andrew turned on Xander. "But… your eye came back, right?" he said. "See? If that can happen, then maybe—"

"The eye's back, yeah," said Xander. "But it stopped working right about three months in. Regenerative energy ran out, I guess." He shrugged. "Like a really realistic looking glass eye, now. No functionista."

"There's not always a happily ever after," said Faith.

Especially not after what they'd all heard about, from the survivors they'd managed to get to talk to them. The broadcast, from the Valiant, of Ria's death.

No more Slayer Institution

No more Ria.

"No happily ever after," Dawn agreed. "Not this time."

* * *

The first thing that Seo noticed, as she entered Leeds, was the gigantic statue being erected in the center of what had once been a city.

A city now being dismantled, to use for scrap metal.

The gigantic statue was of a man in a suit, pointing. His head hadn't been carved in the stone, yet, but it wasn't hard to guess who this was supposed to be.

"Geeze," said Buffy, adjusting her backpack. "You know, I think the Master's got the biggest god-complex I've ever seen." She tilted her head to the side. "And I've met actual gods."

Seo shuddered, and Buffy put an arm around her, protectively.

"Labor camp break-in," Buffy reminded her. Led her into the city. "Come on."

* * *

"You've got to get out of here," Luke and Alison said, looking one another over.

Then realized they'd said it at almost the same time, and broke down into nervous, tired, hysterical laughter.

"No, really," said Alison. "Just look at yourself. You're falling into—"

"A malaise," Luke agreed. "A rhythm. A pattern. If you don't get out of here, now—"

"You'll never get out," said Alison.

They both looked at one another. Both feeling too weary, too brain-dead, too tired and hungry and worn-out to escape. Each wanting the other to escape, but both knowing… they never would. Neither of them.

"At least we found each other," Alison said, taking Luke's hand in hers.

Luke smiled at her. "Yeah."

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Seo's World:

"Nope," said Willow, closing another book, as she researched in the Magic Box. "Still coming up empty on 'Meyomelae Krvas'."

"She's probably not called that, on Earth," Tara offered. "If that's some kind of Time Lord name for her."

"The Time Lord's 'Mistress of Fear'," Xander said. "Because that makes me feel way better."

Giles sipped at his tea, rather worriedly. "It is quite disturbing," he agreed. "The Time Lords once exerted a godlike power over all of time and space and the universe. If this… Meyomelae Krvas… inspired fear even in them, I suppose we are dealing with someone very bad indeed."

From the ground, a little ways away, they heard Anya shout, "No, that's not a toy, you can't just… hey, gimme that!"

Willow darted over, and picked up Seo. Anya jumped to her feet, angry. Seo met her anger with a wide, toothless baby grin.

Which made Anya about ready to smack her.

"She's just a baby," Willow told Anya. "She doesn't know any better."

"Well, she should!" said Anya. "I don't know why babies get special treatment. What do they ever do for us? Just sitting there, drooling and putting things into their mouths." She raised up a slobbery looking gemstone. "I mean, look what she did to the Gem of Varolanxior!"

Seo, the moment she saw the gem, reached out for it again. Anya snatched it away.

"One of the most powerful dimensionally active gemstones we have," said Anya. "Used as a baby's chew-toy!"

Giles snapped his head over, his eyes on Seo and the gemstone. "Actually — Willow? If you could ensure Seo doesn't… attempt to eat… any of our other powerful dimensional magical items, that would be very helpful."

Willow grinned down at Seo, bringing her over to the table by the research bookshelves, and handing her to Tara, who began playing with the child, immediately.

"Adorable," Tara cooed, waving a small silver pen around, letting Seo try to catch it.

"I keep waiting for her to get super smart," said Willow. "But I guess… I've still got a few years before that happens." She sighed, then reached for another book. "Whatever. I'd better get back to finding this…." She stopped. Stared. "Oh."

"What?" asked Tara. Looking up.

Willow held the book out to Tara. "I… don't think this book is ours. It must have gotten mixed in."

Tara looked the book up and down. Sure enough, it looked a lot more like one of those crazy Doctor books, from the Doctor's library onboard the TARDIS, written in alien languages and only readable with translation help from the TARDIS.

"It must be from the Doctor's library," Tara offered. "The one he lost."

Willow opened up the book, sifted through its pages. The book wasn't in English, just written in a really circley looking language that the TARDIS wasn't translating. Which seemed to basically mean that they'd never find anything.

Except… for one entry.

"Here!" Willow cried, flipping to a page. "This one's been translated, below, into English. 'Meyomelae Krvas'."

Giles looked up from his tea. "What does it say?"

Willow squinted at the tiny text. "Not much," she admitted. "Just — 'Abomination of the Triumvirate. Sent into exile during the Dark Times.'" She grinned. "Oh, wait! This must be why this entry's in English. It says, 'She is known, on Earth, as Glorificus. Or Glory.'"

* * *

It only took a few days in a healing coma for the Doctor to recover from the physical damage of Red Dress Lady's attack.

The psychological damage… was another story.

Buffy didn't know what he'd done during the Time War. The Doctor had never wanted to talk about it in too much detail.

What had Jack said, back when they'd been locked up in the basement of the Watchers' Council? That the Doctor had been seriously traumatized, right after the War?

Yeah. Buffy could definitely see that.

The moment he woke up, of course, he didn't want to talk about what Red Dress Lady had said. As usual, he just pretended the whole interrogation thing had never actually happened, and rushed off to the TARDIS, telling Buffy that he needed to finally find the TARDIS library, so he could work out who the Meyomelae Krvas was, and what she really wanted.

Buffy raced after him.

"Doctor, about what happened—" she tried, chasing him through the TARDIS corridors.

"Seo is actually something called 'the Key'," the Doctor cut in. "This Meyomelae Krvas is looking for it. You haven't been telling me about Seo, because whoever designed her sent her to _you_ , and would have been much happier if I were out of the way entirely."

Buffy bit her lower lip. Sometimes, she really wished he wasn't as smart.

"I meant about what Red Dress Lady told you," said Buffy. "About the War. And your—"

"Ha! And that's why Seo's my child!" the Doctor said. "Why she's constructed from the two of us. Because I'm outside of reality — I should be able to 'see the Key', whatever that means. I should see something special about Seo, something different that shows who and what she really is. But by making her _my_ child, they've incorporated me into the reality! So I can't!"

"Doctor…" Buffy tried.

But he still wasn't listening to her. Was still running along, chattering away, without giving her a second thought.

So Buffy overtook him. Grabbed him by the arm. And stopped him dead in his tracks.

"We need to talk," she said.

He didn't face her.

"I don't know what that woman said you did," said Buffy, "because you never told me about the War. But I know you, and I know the Daleks. You _were_ a good person, Doctor, even before—"

"Stop," the Doctor said, in a hard but low voice.

"No, I won't stop!" said Buffy. "Daleks are like mega-vampires, blood-sucking happiness out of the universe! They make people do horrible things to each other!"

"Elizabeth…"

"I don't care what Miss Beat-You-Up says you did," said Buffy. "You _had_ to do it. Any war you fought against stuff like Daleks would have to be one of the most horrible—"

"Buffy!"

The raw, wrenching pain shot through her mind, making her reel as he spoke her name. She only just managed to stay upright, beneath the onslaught of far-too-tumultuous emotions.

For a moment, they stayed silent. Not daring to speak. Not even daring to look at one another.

"Have I…?" the Doctor began. Then paused. Glanced over his shoulder at her. "You said, once, that you tried to kill me when you first met me. But… have _I_ … ever tried to kill _you_? Ever even hurt you, physically — back when I had my memories?"

Almost unbidden, a flood of memories swept over Buffy… memories of last year, of the Doctor — being possessed by evil demons — with his hands around her throat, malice in his eyes, his every word hard and cruel and biting…

"I have, then," said the Doctor.

Buffy blinked. Realized… he must have noticed the expression on her face. Taken his answer from the look in her eyes.

"No," said Buffy. "That wasn't really you! It wasn't your fault."

The Doctor didn't answer. Just looked away, again. Hardness written across his features.

Buffy knew that expression. That was how he got when he was guilty — so guilty that no amount of explanations and it-wasn't-your-faults would be able to help him overcome it.

"You said… if I'd wiped out your home," said Buffy, at long last, "you'd forgive me. Even if I didn't have a good reason. You'd still forgive me."

Some of the hardness fell away from his face.

"So… I guess… it's my turn to forgive you," Buffy continued. "For whatever you did, during the War. Even if it was really bad and unforgivable. I'll just… forgive you. All of it."

The Doctor turned around. Regarding her with real awe in his face.

"You're impossible," he said. "Amazing."

Buffy looked around themselves. At the corridor of this bigger-on-the-inside spaceship, owned by an alien with two hearts who saved the universe on his lunch break.

"Two of a kind," she told him, stepping up and kissing him.

They never _did_ manage to find the library.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some people have expressed an interest in knowing what the order of Adventures of a Line Hopper and The Child of Balime is, from the Doctor's point of view (series is listed in Buffy's point of view). So here's the list:
> 
> In the Martha's World Universe (Doctor's point of view):
> 
> 1\. Don't Be.
> 
> (10th Doctor, post-Rose)
> 
> 1.5. Your Nature
> 
> (An alternate timeline version of "Don't Be")
> 
> 2\. Starlight.
> 
> (15 minutes after "Don't Be")
> 
> 3\. The Bringer of Death.
> 
> (Before the Doctor meets Martha.)
> 
> 4\. Happy Endings.
> 
> (10th Doctor, with Martha. It is also implied that the 10th Doctor and Martha have had some adventures in Sunnydale, before this. Including Martha's teaching everyone CPR)
> 
> 5\. The Martha's World Section of the Years that Never Were
> 
> (In which the Doctor is a captive onboard the Valiant.)
> 
> 6\. Trials - _this story hasn't been posted, yet, but when it is posted, it'll take place here._
> 
> (Very shortly after the Year that Never Was, but before Donna.)
> 
> 7\. The Seventh Segment.
> 
> (10th Doctor and Donna.)
> 
> 8\. The Doctor goes to Messaline, which winds up creating Jenny.
> 
> (Want to stick this fact in, just because it's interesting.)
> 
> 9\. Paradox
> 
> (10th Doctor, shortly after Donna leaves.)
> 
> 10\. Elizabeth
> 
> (Takes place directly after Paradox.)
> 
> 11\. The Epilogues to the Seventh Segment
> 
> (As a result of Buffy's Blame Sheet.)
> 
> 12\. Blue Box Bad
> 
> (And the entire summer of Buffy making up monsters to keep the Doctor there.)
> 
> 13\. The Facksisil of Balime
> 
> (The version of the story in which the Doctor _does_ get back his memories.)
> 
> 14\. Nothing
> 
> 15\. Prologue to the Seventh Segment
> 
> (In which the Doctor gives Dawn the TARDIS key perception filter.)
> 
> 16\. Riley Finn Doesn't Hate the Doctor
> 
> (Or parts of it, in which the 11th Doctor is clearly traveling with Amy and no Rory. In other parts, he's clearly traveling with them both.)
> 
> 17\. My Weapon
> 
> (11th Doctor, during Amy and Rory's honeymoon.)
> 
> 18\. That part, in "Nothing", where Doctor 11 shows up and Amy threatens his bow tie.
> 
> (Traveling with married Amy and Rory.)
> 
> 19\. Something.
> 
> 20\. Glorious - _not yet posted, but when it is, this is where it goes_
> 
> 21\. Date Night.
> 
> 22\. Role Model.
> 
> 23\. Mr. Hart - _not yet posted_
> 
> 24\. Cheaters - _not yet posted_. 
> 
> Keep in mind that this is just for Martha's World. In Seo's world, the causality is different.


	31. Chapter 31

Martha's World:

At first, they just didn't know.

Dawn, Faith, Xander, and Andrew had been in Greenland, most of the time. No Toclafane. No people. No real idea what was going on. They'd just figured that, in the middle-of-nowhere, Iceland, they didn't have to hide their tracks that well.

Big mistake.

The fire they'd constructed, roasting meat, had wafted the scent of it through the air. There had been cities, here, once. Cities crowded with people and pets. Now… the pets were starved. Feral.

And the scent of meat was enticing.

The feral dog pack jumped on them, out of nowhere. Their jaws snapping, claws ripping at them. Last time, with the wolves, they'd been able to use fire to drive them off. They'd had Kennedy to help out. But this time… these dogs didn't fear fire. Didn't fear humans.

They tore at the cooking meat, then turned their attention to Dawn, Faith, Xander, and Andrew. Faith managed to hurl one of the dogs away from them, using lightning quick reflexes to stab the knife in another's throat. But a third had already sunk its teeth into Xander's shoulder, and a fourth was advancing on Dawn.

"Hey, doggies!" shouted Andrew. He waved his arms. "Over here!"

Then, ducking into his pocket, he ripped open a still-in-the-original-packaging, collectable Star Trek dog-treat, wafting its scent through the air.

The dogs all looked up at him. Letting go of the others.

For a few moments, they just studied Andrew, advancing on him, their eyes hungry.

"Andrew, just… step away," Xander said. "Throw the treat. Come to us."

Andrew was shaking. His entire body nearly petrified with fear. "But… but I could be an action hero…" he stuttered out. "Like in the movies. Giving up my life… for…"

His eyes rested on Dawn.

Then he turned, and ran. Belted as fast as he could, away from Dawn, away from the others, leading the dog pack as far from them as he possibly could.

They growled, then sprinted after him, leaping out to catch him, their jaws snapping and vicious.

"Come on!" shouted Faith, almost dragging Dawn after her. "Keep moving!"

Dawn's eyes never left the dog pack, as she stumbled along. "He… he…"

"Bought you time to get away," said Xander, racing alongside them. He panted, heavily. "I underestimated that shrimpy geek guy."

Dawn bit her lower lip, but raced off into the night. "Sorry, Andrew," she whispered. "And… thanks."

* * *

UFCA Yerzinks stood at his post at the Leeds Labor Camp, guarding the exterior. The most recent import of workers had just arrived, and he was busy overseeing their integration.

Except…

"You, there!" shouted Yerzinks, raising up his gun. "The blond one."

Everyone froze. Their hands in the air. The short, blond woman, standing in the center of them, also raised her hands. But, unlike the others, she didn't seem scared.

Just smiled.

"For a few minutes," said the woman, "I thought you hadn't gotten the memo."

"Name!" Yerzinks demanded.

The woman tilted her head to the side. "Buffy Summers," she said. "Friend of Martha Jones. Friend of Ria Hiskaloph. Defender of humanity. And probably the only person who can say they've been 'killed' by the Master — twice — and lived to tell the tale." Then, a twinkle in her eyes, she spun around, and raced out of the room.

"Stop her!" shouted Yerzinks.

But Buffy was too fast, zipping out of the way before they could form a group around her, then flipping and ducking her way around the last few stragglers, and flip-kicking a final guard into a wall, as she raced into the inner workings of the camp.

"After her!" Yerzinks shouted at the UFC guards around him.

As they all raced off, guns at their shoulders, Yerzinks stepped aside to connect to Over Watch.

Summers located. Leeds Labor Camp. Requesting backup.

* * *

"Stop!" shouted UFCA Etrap, pointing his gun at one of the clusters of workers, coming off shift. "You! The blond! Identify!"

The blond girl looked up. Challengingly.

"What? You mean you don't know?" she said. "I'm Buffy Summers." She quirked an eyebrow. "Is that why you're stuck guarding labor camps? Because you're too thick for the real work?" Her eyes twinkled. "Or maybe the Master just doesn't like you."

A tall, striking girl with dark, scruffy-looking hair shot her head over, in response to the voice. Her eyes going wide, her jaw trembling, a little.

Etrap picked up his walky-talky. "Found Summers, block T, outer perimeter."

The walky-talky crackled. Then, from the other side, "You've got to be kidding! She was just in A-block a few seconds ago!"

"Well, now she's in T-block!" shouted Etrap. "Get—"

Etrap swung around, firing into the crowd, as he noticed Summers suddenly racing away, the tall girl running alongside her. Followed, close behind, by a fair-haired young boy.

The other labor camp workers all screamed at the gunshot, then scattered, the ensuing chaos causing Etrap to lose sight of Summers and the others.

Damn.

He began to race towards the place where he was certain they'd run off to, when the crackle of his walky-talky interrupted him. "Spotted Summers, C-block, inner area."

"That's impossible!" shouted Etrap, jerking up his walky-talky. "She was just here!"

"I've heard Summers has super powers," said Yerzinks, on the other end. "This must be one of them."

"Or not," snapped Etrap, continuing to race down the corridor where he thought he'd seen Summers disappear. No matter what Yerzinks claimed. "And Summers has just found herself a decoy."

"Negative," said another voice, from central control. "Cameras pick up only one Summers. C-block. And the cameras don't lie."

Etrap could see the fair-haired boy rounding the far corner, just up ahead. Couldn't see the other two, but… he was certain. Summers was with them. He knew that for a fact.

"Just lost Summers, again," shouted Yerzinks. "What do the cameras say?"

"Cameras put her in…" a pause. Then, "Sorry. Massive camera failure, on this end."

"I still say there's two of them," said Etrap, as he noticed the party heading down one last corridor. One that he knew, for a fact, led to a dead end. He grinned. "And I've just cornered one."

He turned the corner. And stopped. Froze.

The tall girl was there, along with the fair-haired boy.

But no Summers.

"Where… what…?" stammered Etrap.

Then he was decked over the head by someone behind his back. Decked hard enough that his vision faded to black, and he was unable to catch himself as he fell to the ground.

* * *

"Mom's taken down the cameras," said Seo. She gestured at Alison and Luke to follow her, as they raced through the labor camp. "But they'll have sent out a signal to Over Watch, by now. So the Toclafane will be on their way."

"Brilliant," said Alison. She was panting, heaving, her feet feeling like lead weights, beneath her.

"But that'll be easy," said Seo, as they raced along another corridor, darting between bits of factory equipment on transit to the production line. "By then, you'll be with Mom, and I'll lead the Toclafane off."

"The… UFC… still hasn't worked out that you're not your mum?" Luke asked.

Seo glanced over her shoulder, and winked at them. "They weren't chosen for their brains, you know."

A group of UFC patrols suddenly leapt out at them, from nowhere, trying to surround them. Seo kicked in a nearby door, then ushered Luke and Alison through it, slamming it shut just before the shooting started.

They raced across the factory floor. The production line still in full swing, workers glancing up in surprise at the chase that was going on, nearby. From the other side of the factory floor, another troop of UFC guards piled in, trying to surround Seo and the others.

But Luke had just had an idea.

He raced over to the nearby equipment, grabbed up one of the devices that was being constructed, tweaked a few components of it, and aimed the modified device at the nearby generator.

The resulting explosion cut all lights in the complex.

"Run!" shouted Luke, as he raced off with Alison and Seo, darting for the door. The shriek of terrified, panicked workers echoed in their ears, as the soldiers began to shoot, randomly, mobbed by the unarmed civilians.

They burst through two sets of double doors, Seo yanking a padlock off a third, on a raised platform, which led to the outside world. She threw open the door, to reveal…

Buffy.

Grabbing for Seo and Luke, tugging them up and forwards. "Toclafane won't be far behind," she warned, reaching for Alison. "We can't—"

Alison faltered. Stumbled.

Then looked up at them, horrified, as she clutched at her chest. Just where her shirt was turning red, from the bullet that had gone in, through her back, and punctured her heart.

She fell to the ground, to reveal one single UFCA behind her. A rifle at his shoulder.

"Summers," said the UFCA. "You're…" Then paused, as he stared at Buffy and Seo, shocked. "But… you're both…"

He fell, dead, to the ground, as a blast from the device Luke had snatched up from the factory floor seared through him, burning him to a crisp.

Luke's eyes were cold. Stony. Angrier than they'd ever been in his entire life.

Seo darted forward, grabbed up Alison, her whole body in sudden shock and hurt and grief. Not quite believing what was taking place before her.

Alison, with heaving breaths, managed to look up into Seo's eyes.

"If you… don't bloody save the world… after this…" Alison hissed at her, with a rasping, dying breath, "I'm… going to…"

She never finished. Just collapsed, the final breath gone out of her.

Seo held her friend. Held Alison with shaking hands, unable to process what had just happened. Unwilling to process what had just happened.

"Seo," said Buffy, pulling her daughter away. Her eyes on the sky, and the swarm of Toclafane that were approaching. "We have to go."

"She's dead," said Seo, her voice barely above a whisper. "Alison's..." Then suddenly snapped out of it, her eyes processing what was going on around her. And the petrified Luke, standing nearby, unable to deal with both what had just happened, and what he'd just done.

And knew… she couldn't think about this. Not now.

Seo grabbed up Luke, by the arm, and pulled him along after her, as she and her mom ran for their lives.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are reading this straight through (AKA not reading as I post it, but reading the whole story after the fact), TAKE A BREAK BEFORE READING THIS CHAPTER! I find it is impossible to go straight from the last chapter into this one. So just take five minutes, smell some flowers or eat some pie or something, and then read this chapter.
> 
> For all you reading as I post... go ahead and read on!
> 
> In terms of personal news, a German publisher contacted me, this morning. They found my bachelor's thesis in the Brandeis Library, and they thought it was really interesting, and want to publish it! I'll see if this actually amounts to anything, and I'm not getting my hopes up, but... wow! I thought that you had to go to publishers, not publishers coming to you!
> 
> So... yeah. I might be a published author pretty soon. Or maybe not.
> 
> I'll see.

Seo's World:

The problem, Spike told himself, was _not_ that he'd accidentally wound up falling in love with Buffy. Nor was it that Buffy was a Slayer, whose very purpose was to kill vampires like him. Nor that Buffy seemed to utterly despise him.

No, the problem, Spike had decided, was the bloody Time Lord.

Spike had kept waiting for their relationship to fall apart. It had to, right? After all, the Doctor was almost completely without a sex drive. She had to notice that at some point! Had to cotton onto the fact that she did nothing for him — that the only reason he ever even touched her was because she wanted him to. Only reason he could get it up for her was because he could control his own blood flow.

Why the hell did she like him so much?!

Spike had no idea how the two of them had managed to create the munchkin in the first place. Considering when she was conceived, Spike figured there was a fifty-fifty chance that the brat's father was actually Captain Cardboard, and Buffy just never said.

Spike sighed, then lit up another cigarette, staring in through the window. It looked like tonight was another one of those nights when Buffy wasn't getting enough bedroom action. She was storming around the house, yelling, tossing pillows off the couch, opening toy chests, scouring the entire living room.

Must be looking for Time Twit's libido.

Spike chuckled to himself.

The laugh was echoed, down by his feet.

Spike started, so violently that he nearly dropped his cigarette. He stared at the area beside him. There, he found a small little baby girl, wisps of blond hair beginning to grow on her head, and large, twinkling brown eyes. She sat on the ground, looking up at him, beaming with a happy glow that seemed to light up the air around her.

Spike looked between the baby, and the frantic Buffy.

"Oh," he muttered. "So _you're_ what she's looking for."

The brat then started crawling towards him, reaching out with curiosity written across her features. Spike stumbled back.

He'd have thought a Slayer's daughter would know better than to associate with the likes of him.

The kid noticed his stumble, and gave another laugh.

Oh, that was just insulting, now.

Spike stubbed out his cigarette, and picked the girl up. "Tell you what, Goldilocks Junior," he said. "Here's a lesson for you. Me." He morphed his face into his vampiric visage. "Vampire. Stay away."

Problem was, now the brat was positively delighted. Entire little face bubbling with happy excitement, hands reaching out to touch his fangs.

Spike held her at arm's length.

"Your mum needs to teach you some self preservation," Spike muttered.

"Odd, that, isn't it?" came a voice from behind Spike.

Spike snapped his head around, and froze, as he saw the pinstripe suited man, leaning against the side of the house, hands in his pockets, thoughtful look on his face.

"See, thing is," the Doctor continued, "her senses should have picked you up right away. Given her a natural instinctive reaction against you. But… nope. Nothing."

Spike very carefully set the baby down on the ground, and stepped away from her, raising up his hands in surrender. "Look, this isn't how it seems. I'm just…"

"Standing out here, peeping in at Elizabeth," the Doctor said, strolling forward to pick up the brat, "same way you do every night, because you're desperately in love with her and don't know what to do about it."

He picked up the child, held her in his arms.

Spike backed up a little further. "How… when…?"

"Right from the beginning, actually," the Doctor said. He shrugged. "Doesn't bother me. Might bother her, but doesn't bother me."

Spike wasn't sure what to say. He'd expected threats. Anger. Rage. Not this vaguely amused smug git telling him to go ahead and peep in at his girlfriend.

"You don't…?" Spike asked.

The Doctor gave a sly smile. "Like to keep tabs on you, Spike," he said, and there was just the hint of threat in his voice, hidden under layers of amusement and detachment. He gave the baby an affectionate pat on her head. "Thanks for looking out for Seo."

Then turned, and walked back into the house.

Yep. Problem wasn't Buffy. Problem wasn't the munchkin. Problem wasn't any of it.

Just that smart ass Time Lord.

* * *

"I didn't think she was old enough to climb out of her crib," said Willow, studying both Seo and the crib with a careful scrutiny.

Buffy sighed, cuddling the child a little more. "Maybe this is her starting to show us she's smart," she muttered.

She'd known this day would come, of course. Naturally conceived or no, Seo was still the Doctor's kid. Of course, the first chance Seo got, she'd want to go out and explore! That was natural.

Buffy had just assumed it'd start after she learned to walk.

"No, Buffy, it's not just that," said Willow, turning back to her friend. "At that age, she shouldn't be physically strong enough to do it. I mean, I know she's your kid, and you're strong, but… still. It's really, really young for that kind of thing."

Buffy frowned, slightly. Looking down at Seo.

"Maybe this is just what happens when you cross a Time Lord and a Slayer," Buffy proposed. "You get a really strong, really smart kid."

Willow wasn't looking at Seo, though. She'd walked over to the crib, and picked up one of the stuffed animals from the sea of cartoony vampire dolls, examining it. She turned back to Buffy, waving it at her. "Where'd she get this?"

Buffy stared.

There, in Willow's hands, was a stuffed child's doll of… herself. Buffy Summers. Complete with little embroidered eyes — eyes that shone with determination and strength, her expression filled with righteous anger and just a hint of a love so strong it couldn't be kept down. In the doll's hand was a little stuffed wooden stake.

Seo reached out for the doll the moment she saw it. Began fussing and whining, her eyes fixed on it, intently. Willow handed it over, and Seo grabbed it up, a grin on her face.

And proceeded to try to stuff it into her mouth.

"Three guesses," Buffy said, handing the girl to Willow. "Look after her a moment. I'll be in the basement."

* * *

"A doll," Buffy said, standing in the doorway of the TARDIS, "of me."

The Doctor looked up from where he was tinkering, a slightly sheepish expression on his face. "Ah. You… noticed that, then."

Buffy folded her arms, her eyes demanding an explanation.

"Well," the Doctor said, turning back to his work. "Way I see it, Seo's crib was being overrun by toy monsters. So I gave her… a toy Buffy." He shrugged. "Seemed the logical solution."

Buffy felt a grin crawling up her face, despite herself.

This was how the Doctor showed he loved someone. Really loved them. The big gestures, saving lives and things, he did for everyone. But the little things… were reserved for the people he adored. Little things, like fixing the squeak in the door hinge, because he knew it was bothering her. Or quietly programming the sonic screwdriver to stop that whine sound in headphones, because he knew that it annoyed Buffy.

And this.

The fact that, when he'd wanted to create a little mini guardian angel for his daughter… he honestly couldn't think of anyone better than Buffy herself.

The way that he'd created the doll to be how he really saw her. Not as a killer, not as a Slayer, but as someone who fought with a deep sense of love and adoration shining through her.

She loved him for that.

"I can't believe you know how to sew," said Buffy — mainly to stop herself from choking up.

"Well," the Doctor said. "Nothing you can't learn to do with a little determination." He connected a few wires together. "Particularly not if you're a genius, like me."

He glanced over at her, and winked.

And Buffy knew.

She needed to get him back for this.


	33. Chapter 33

Martha's World:

Luke looked around the city of Carlisle, Scotland. Or… what used to be the city of Carlisle.

"It's… just… gone," Buffy breathed, stepping across the tumbled debris of houses. The frames and torn-apart scraps of cars surrounding them. The outlines of stripped-apart houses creaking, nearby. "They've destroyed _everything_."

"Creating weapons," Luke muttered, "out of the scraps of our old lives."

He hadn't been the same, since Alison had died. Since he'd killed that UFC guard.

Since then, he'd rarely spoken. Rarely seemed ready to engage with the world. He looked on at the rest of the world and humanity with detachment, as if barely able to cope with what had happened, and what he'd done.

Seo had, to her credit, tried to be brave.

If only for Luke's sake.

But Buffy had caught her, one night, looking out at the moon, a lost expression on her face. A hopeless sadness in her eyes.

"Alison was supposed to be Samwise Gamgee," Seo had whispered. She bunched her hands into fists. "She was supposed to _survive_."

Buffy had comforted Seo as much as she could.

But knew, all too well, that it would never be enough. She'd lost enough friends, herself, to know that.

Now, here they were. In Scotland. Finally, finally, they'd made it all the way to Scotland.

And this was the devastation that awaited them.

"We're not going to find food, here, are we?" Seo asked, surveying the landscape around them.

Buffy sighed. "Probably not."

It had been a day and a half since their last good meal. And they had no idea when their next meal was going to be. Or where it would come from.

From here to Glasgow was a lot of hiking through marshland, woodland, and ruined farmland. Not a whole lot of opportunity to find canned food that no one else had managed to open, yet.

Luke stepped forward. His face blank. Eyes on the landscape around them.

He said nothing.

"I guess we better forage," said Buffy. She grabbed a few flashlights out of her backpack, handing them out. Knowing they might well be the last remaining flashlights in the world. Using up the last remaining batteries in the world. "You two know the drill. No basements with any significant structural damage, okay? We don't want anyone to get trapped."

Luke took the flashlight. Didn't answer.

"Unless the Toclafane show up," said Buffy. "In which case, any basement is fine by me."

Luke froze. Then, suddenly, snapped his head around, eyes fixed off in the distance. "Odd," he muttered.

"What's odd?" asked Seo.

Luke ventured forwards, his eyes peeled for danger, his stance tensed, as if anticipating a fight. He stopped, a little ways away, and this time… Buffy heard it, too.

The skittering sound, of someone ducking out of the way.

"We're being followed," Buffy said, moving beside Luke.

Another skittering sound, and this time, Seo darted out towards it, grabbing the source of the skittering up by the collar of his shirt.

"You?!" shouted Seo and Buffy, together.

As they stared at the unkempt, thin man who'd been scurrying about, following them. The one that gave Buffy a very guilty look.

"Hello, again," he said. He grimaced. "Good to see you're doing well?"

Buffy crossed her arms. "Thanks," she said. "Since, last time we met, you tried to kill me."

Luke looked between Buffy, Seo, and the unkempt, thin man that Seo was holding. Frowning, his face bent in confusion.

"You… know him," Luke said.

"Yes," Buffy and Seo both sighed, with exactly the same exasperation in their voices.

"Luke Smith," said Buffy, grabbing up the man from Seo, and securing his hands behind his back. "Allow me to introduce you to Ethan Rayne."

* * *

"So, Ethan," said Buffy. She gestured at the wasteland surrounding them. "What do you think? Enough chaos for you?"

"I… I didn't…" Ethan tried to say.

"And I'm sure you were just laughing it up on Day Zero," Buffy continued, "when you found out Giles was onboard the Valiant."

"I never wanted this to happen!" Ethan insisted. "I'm in favor of chaos, not… complete planetary destruction!"

"Why are you following us?" Seo demanded.

"And why are you even in Scotland?" Buffy added. "You're supposed to be in California, with…" She shook her head. "No, don't tell me. You came here because you had a scheme to get back at Giles."

Ethan gritted his teeth in frustration. "Listen to me," he snapped. "I am _trying_ to help you!"

Seo and Buffy exchanged a skeptical look.

"I've been hiding out here since Day Zero," said Ethan. "I've seen what they've done. Heard what they're planning."

"And no one picked you up, that entire time?" Seo said, her eyes shifting around the rubble. "Despite the fact that they've picked up everyone else?"

"I got lucky," Ethan snapped. He seemed flustered, his face turning desperate. "Look… I… I've got food! Supplies. Fresh water! I can share them with you! Help you with whatever you're doing to fight back. But you have to listen to me and get out of here, now."

"Why?" Seo asked.

"And how did you know we'd be coming here, in the first place?" Buffy added.

"Because _they_ know!" shouted Ethan. He struggled to free himself from Buffy's grip, but was held fast. "The UFC are waiting for you. I saw them setting up an ambush. They knew you'd be coming through!"

Buffy, Seo, and Luke exchanged worried glances.

"And how do we know you're not helping the Master, yourself?" Buffy retorted. "Trying to draw us into a trap?"

Ethan looked down at his dirty, half-starved form. "Does it look like I want the Master in control of the world?!" he snapped. "They think you have a plan. And whatever that plan is, I want in on it."

"Let him go," said Luke, very softly.

Buffy glanced at Luke. Raised her eyebrows.

"He doesn't look like a UFC agent," Luke said. He gestured at Ethan Rayne. "He's starving. Unkempt. Beaten down. Like us."

Buffy sighed, let Ethan Rayne go — a little reluctantly.

"Okay," said Buffy. "We'll accept your help." She narrowed her eyes at him, pointing her finger in his face, as she advanced on him. "Just remember." She pointed at the landscape around them. "All those chaos spells you performed, all those times you've helped out evil, _this_ is what you were aiming for. _This_ is the Ethan Rayne Perfect World."

"Blimey, you really have become a mum," Ethan muttered. He sighed. Then grabbed up a fallen backpack from the ground. Glanced around himself. And darted forwards. "Follow me."

* * *

Ethan, turned out, was right.

A large group of UFC troopers had begun to sweep through Carlisle, looking for them. Fanning out, to track them down.

But Ethan had been camping out here long enough to know where was safe to hide, and where wasn't. He knew how to get around, how to make sure they got to the right spot without encountering any guards.

By the time they got out of the city of Carlisle, unharmed, Buffy realized… for the first time… Ethan Rayne had actually saved her life.

* * *

"Are you… Martha Jones?" asked the Icelandic family that had helped shelter Dawn, Faith, and Xander on their way to Reykjavik. They were peering at Dawn, barely able to see her.

"No," said Dawn. "But I've met her, before."

Even though… since those memories were all implanted by the Monks… it meant that while Dawn had met Martha, Martha had never actually met Dawn. Time travelers never got the implanted memories.

"We've heard she knows how to kill the Master," said the Icelandic family. "Do you think she can do it?"

"Think she _can_ ," Faith said, "or think she _will_?"

The Icelandic family seemed confused.

"This is the Doctor's plan, right?" Faith asked, turning to Dawn and Xander. "Doctor's mission?"

Dawn and Xander nodded.

Faith stared out into the distance. "Two in all the world…" she muttered.

* * *

The Master leapt over to the tent where his favorite pet was lying, pretending to sleep. "Story time, Gandalf!" the Master chirruped, ringing the bell and dragging the aged Doctor out of his tent. The Master sat down on the floor, petting the top of his pet's head.

The file on Faith Lehane was open in front of him.

"You'll like this one," said the Master. "Once upon a time…"

* * *

"There was always _one_ Slayer," Ethan Rayne told Luke. They'd hidden, not far outside of Carlisle, in a shelter near Longtown. "That's the way it used to be. In every generation, there was a Chosen One. One girl, in all the world, to fight off the forces of darkness. That's how I learned it."

Luke frowned, as he finished opening the tin of beans with the tin-opener from Seo's rucksack. He handed it back to Ethan Rayne. "What changed it?"

"She did," said Ethan, glancing over at Buffy, in the distance. "No idea how. But one day… there were two. Just like that."

* * *

"Two girls, in all the world," the Master continued. "At first, the two were Elizabeth and… someone else I don't care about." He tore a page out of the file, scrunched it up, and tossed it over his shoulder. "But… then!" He flipped the next page in the file, opening to a picture of Faith and Buffy. "Here they are. Faith Lehane — and your Elizabeth. Schoolyard chums!"

The Doctor didn't answer.

"Two friends," the Master mused. "One who grew up poor, abused by her family, almost completely friendless. And the other who grew up loved, surrounded by friends and comforts, with a doting family and a house of her own. Two friends, who turned into enemies — one fighting to destroy the world, one fighting to save it." He pet the Doctor on the head, again. "Doesn't that sound familiar, Dog-tor?"

* * *

"I wasn't around for what happened with Faith and Buffy," said Ethan, baking the beans over a temporary fire. "But I heard… it all started because Faith killed someone. Accidentally. Staked a human through the heart. Thought he was a vampire."

Luke looked down at his own hands.

Remembering pulling the trigger… and killing that guard.

"They say… that's what did it, for her," said Ethan. "Flipped her over the edge."

* * *

"One life taken," the Master continued. "Just one life — an accident. Can't you picture it?"

The Doctor said nothing.

"Your Elizabeth calling out, in horror, 'What have you done?!' And Faith… oh, she must have been saying something along the lines of…" The Master caught the Doctor's eyes. "'I am so, so sorry.'" He grinned. "That's what _you_ said, wasn't it?"

* * *

"Faith tried to feed the entire town of Sunnydale to Mayor Richard Wilkins," said Ethan. "He was ascending into a true demon — a giant snake. On graduation day. Going to eat all the kids, then devour his way through the rest of the town."

Luke didn't answer. His hands were shaking.

Taking a life… had done that to Faith? What would it do to him?

What was it already doing to him?

"Thing is… no matter how many people wanted to take Faith out, Buffy never let them," said Ethan. "Always thought she could help Faith. Save Faith. Make her better. Always wanted to let Faith know… she forgave her. Two in all the world, you know."

"That's why," said Luke, his eyes fixed on Buffy.

Why Buffy had just shrugged, when Luke had talked about taking out the Master. Why Buffy had always brushed it off, when Alison had mentioned that the Master should be killed for what he'd done.

Only two Time Lords in all the universe…

Only two Slayers in all the world…

"Until Faith nearly killed Buffy's boyfriend," said Ethan. "At that point, Buffy was more than happy to stab Faith in the gut."

"And now… Faith and Buffy are working together, again," Luke said.

"Looks like it," Ethan agreed. "If you're meeting up with her."

* * *

"Seven years old," the Master mused to the Doctor. "Your first kill." He laughed. "You never could forgive yourself for it."

"You envied me for it," the Doctor muttered.

The Master's eyes gleamed, his grin growing that much more insane.

* * *

For a few long moments, Luke said nothing in response to Ethan. Just stared off at Buffy and Seo, in the distance, discussing something together, in earnest, in private. Their voices hushed and whispered. Hands waving through the air, emphatically.

Luke thought he knew what they were talking about.

"That explains why Buffy doesn't want to kill the Master," he muttered. "But why does Seo not want to kill the Toclafane?"

Ethan shot Luke a puzzled look. "Thought you lot were trying to get rid of them."

"Get rid of them," Luke said. "Not kill them." He slumped over, in place. "And even that plan was thought up before Seo actually began talking to them. Now that she has — I'm not sure she'll let Dawn banish them. Seo… wants to help the Toclafane. Make them better."

"Dawn," Ethan repeated. "Dawn Summers? _She's_ the one who can banish the Toclafane?"

Luke shrugged. "They say she's the Key."

Ethan mused this over. "Huh."


	34. Chapter 34

Martha's World:

They all knew the signs far too well to miss, by now. The moment they heard the first puttering of engines, Buffy, Seo and Luke all knew.

UFC.

They dropped what they were eating, and snatched up backpacks in an instant, all on the move, once more. Time to go. Move on.

The sounds of gunshots followed them, as they raced from their hiding spot.

Ethan stumbled, as blood seeped out from his shoulder. Then more from his legs. Seo glanced back at him, but Buffy yanked her forwards.

"Leave him!" she hissed. "We have to go!"

They were on a mission to save the world.

Seo was all right, and that was all that really mattered.

(Buffy frantically dismissed the inner voice inside of her, which said she was only so eager to leave Ethan behind because she'd never liked him, still didn't trust him.)

They ran.

* * *

"No, stop!" Ethan pleaded to the UFC troopers, who were pointing loaded rifles at his head. "I have information! I'm useful! You can't kill me!"

It was a trick that had always worked in the past, as every other resident of Carlisle had been rounded up. Get enough dirt on someone, and the UFC would let you go.

Let Ethan stay alive, for that much longer.

The UFC troopers hesitated. But didn't lower their guns.

"I know how they're getting rid of the Toclafane!" Ethan insisted. "The key to their plan. It's… Dawn Summers. They're meeting up in Glasgow." He tried to shuffle to his knees, to plead with them. "And… and… I can tell you more! I can tell you…!"

"Where'd they run off to?" the UFCA demanded.

Ethan Rayne pointed.

"That's all I need to know," said the UFCA.

And pulled the trigger.

* * *

The UFC troops were relentless, this time. They couldn't shake them off, no matter what.

"Ethan," Seo breathed.

"Knew he'd rat us out," Buffy said. "That's just like him. Saving his own skin."

"Least we didn't tell him anything useful," Seo offered.

They sprinted past a cluster of trees, but the gunshots told them that the UFC troops were still right on their tails.

"Split up," Buffy said to Seo, grabbing up Luke. "No one sees us together. We'll meet in Lockerbie."

Buffy really hoped that Ethan hadn't realized the UFC troopers thought Seo was Buffy. Hadn't told them they were looking for two people who appeared to be Buffy Summers, not one. If the UFC didn't know Seo existed, that would make this all a lot easier.

They split up.

Buffy and Luke belting through the woodland and marshland, trying to shake off the UFC troopers. Trying to do everything in their power to lose them.

But Luke was lagging. More and more. Buffy having to drag him along behind her, as she continued to run. Until…

He stopped. Let go of her hand.

And fell to his knees, on the ground. His face mired in misery and devastation, as his head dropped.

"I can't do this, anymore," he said to Buffy.

Buffy glanced between Luke and the place where UFC troopers were going to appear, any moment. Her panic increasing. "Luke, we've got to—"

"I told Ethan about Dawn," said Luke.

Buffy froze. Her jaw dropping open. "What?!"

"Just go," said Luke. "Run. Find Dawn. Warn her. Before it's too late."

The UFC troopers came into sight, and Buffy, for a moment, could do nothing but just stand there, watching. Unable to even move.

The UFC troopers knew about Dawn.

Had probably already plugged the information into Over Watch, by now.

Buffy didn't even notice the bullet passing through Luke's head, until it was too late.

He slumped to the ground, dead.

"Summers sighted!" shouted one of the UFC troopers, as they continued to race forwards. "Shoot to wound, not kill! Master wants her alive!"

Buffy turned, and ran.

Ran for not just her own life. But her sister's. Ran because she knew… Dawn had finally been noticed. Finally made the Master's Most Wanted List.

And their plans were in danger of completely falling apart.

* * *

"Dawn… Summers?" the Master mused, when he first found out. He glanced over at the prone body of Giles, lying half-dead on the floor of the room. Giles purposely tried to give no reaction. But the tension that overcame him was information enough. "Dawn Summers," the Master repeated. He turned back to the ADC that had brought him the information. "Never heard of her."

"I've looked for records," said the ADC. "Information. There's nothing. Dawn Summers doesn't exist."

The Master tapped the laser screwdriver against his lips, in thought. "So she's clever, then," he said. "Clever enough to cover her tracks."

"Whoever she is," said the ADC, "she's the key to this whole plan. That's clear."

And she and Elizabeth were traveling to meet up with Faith. Faith, who was bringing an item that — the Master was guessing — only Dawn Summers could use.

"I wonder what they're planning," the Master said. "What do they think one human girl can possibly achieve, against me?" He glanced down at Giles. Kicked him, in the side, so that he groaned. "You know anything?"

Giles didn't answer.

"Useless," said the Master, straightening his tie. "As usual." He strolled out of the room, adding, behind him, "Good thing your friend, Ethan Rayne, was so much more cooperative!"

For a few long moments, after the Master departed, the room remained silent.

"Ethan bloody Rayne," Giles muttered, beneath his breath. "If you weren't dead — I'd kill you for this."

* * *

Reykjavik was the first really big city Dawn, Xander, and Faith had come across, since Day Zero.

They stopped, on the outskirts. Stared, their eyes wide, their jaws dropping.

Toclafane swarmed through the air. UFC vans patrolled the streets at all hours of the day. The city itself was falling into ruin and rubble, buildings and cars torn apart for scrap metal.

Feral packs of dogs clawed at dead human bodies, hoping for a meal.

In the center of the city was an enormous statue… of the Master. His face looking down on them all, his eyes hard and cold.

"This is… just…" Dawn shuddered.

"Post-apocalyptic?" Xander offered.

"Creepy," Faith corrected.

They kept to the shadows, darting between whatever buildings or cover they could find, trying to stay out of the sight of UFC troops or oncoming Toclafane.

The further they got into the city, the more its function became apparent. This wasn't a labor camp to build. This was a labor camp designed to ship supplies. A drop-off point, in the Atlantic Ocean, to bring the pieces of rockets built in America to the correct places where they'd be assembled, in Europe and Russia.

"If this is a shipping point," Dawn whispered, "do you think we can barter passage to Glasgow?"

"What with?" asked Faith. She gestured at them. "We got nothing."

Xander shook his head. "We've a plan to take back the Earth," he told them. "We tell these guys that getting us to Scotland will win them their freedom, and someone's bound to listen."

"Or turn us in," said Dawn, quietly. "Like Tasiilaq."

They wound up spending a few days in Reykjavik. Just trying to work out a way onboard one of the boats. Trying to convince people that they were the good guys.

Turned out, Dawn and the others weren't the only ones wary of humans claiming to be friendly, then ratting them out to the Master.

That was pretty common.

And then, one day… for no apparent reason… it just worked.

They wound up hidden on a boat headed for Glasgow.

"Too easy," Faith muttered, shuffling uneasily, as they settled into their hiding spots onboard the ship. "Way too easy."

"Agreed," Xander confirmed.

"Got to be a trap," Faith said. Her eyes fixed off into the distance, musing over the possibilities. "What you up to, Master Saxon guy?"

Xander flicked his eyes over to Dawn. "One thing we have going for us," he pointed out. "We never mentioned anything about her. And they still can't see her."

Dawn said nothing. Just huddled up in the cargo bay of the ship.

"We're expendable," said Xander. "She isn't. Worst comes to worst, we split up. Lead them away, so they're following the two of us. Let her escape."

"Agreed," said Faith.

* * *

"Keep an eye on those two," said ADC Urxin to the boatman who'd turned in Faith and Xander, via telephone. "Get them to trust you. Our Master wants to know what they're up to, what they're bringing to Scotland, and how it's supposed to work."

The boatman hesitated. "Can… I see my family?" he asked. "Please?"

"After you complete your mission," ADC Urxin replied. He paused, a little, thinking it over. "And… see if you can get them to tell you anything about… 'Dawn Summers'. Our Master is very interested in her."

* * *

Seo went very quiet, when she learned.

What had happened to Luke.

And what the Master now knew about their plans.

"He'll be looking for Dawn," Buffy said. "And if she's caught…"

Seo nodded. Knowing what Buffy was going to say, already. "The Master's a Time Lord," she said. "Outside of reality."

Buffy nodded.

The UFC troopers might not be able to see Dawn was the Key. The Toclafane might not, either. But… if the Master, himself, ever set eyes on Dawn… it wouldn't matter if he knew what 'the Key' was, or not.

He'd see the green energy.

And know there was something special about her.

"If the Master gets his hands on the energy to manipulate and control dimensional gateways and corridors…" Buffy began.

Seo nodded.

For a few moments, they said nothing. Just stood there, in silence.

"Does he know… there's two of us?" Seo asked, in a small voice.

Buffy shrugged. "No idea. I mean, yeah, a lot of UFCAs have seen you and me together. But they never seem to work out there's more than one Buffy—"

"Not that," Seo cut in. "Does the Master know… there's more than one Key?"

Buffy thought this over.

And realized… she didn't know.

"Each of us, individually, is useless," Seo said. "We can't construct a stable portal, in and of ourselves. Activating our energies individually would risk complete dimensional collapse and the end of the universe."

And the Master might be insane. But he wasn't quite at the destroy-the-whole-universe level of insane, yet. At least, not from what Buffy could see.

"But together… it's a different story." Seo huddled into herself. "You know… what that means," she said, very quietly.

"That if either of you get captured," Buffy realized, "neither can risk rescuing the other. For the good of the universe."

Seo nodded.

Buffy felt the full horror of this crashing across her. The full horror of realizing that… this was going to be just like the Glory thing, all over again. If Dawn got captured, the best thing she could do, for the world and the universe, would be to kill herself. Make sure the Master never got the chance to break into her mind and discover there was a second Key out there. Make sure…

"Oh, no," Buffy muttered.

Because Dawn wasn't just something to manipulate dimensional gateways. She was also a segment of the Key to Time.

The ability to completely shatter this universe, and replace it with the Master's own.

"The Master could use my sister," said Buffy, "to find the rest of the Key to Time. She's linked to it. And if the Master finds that, our universe is screwed."

Seo's eyes widened. "But… he doesn't have a working TARDIS," she said. "Martha told us."

"He doesn't need one," said Buffy. "If he finds out where the Key to Time is hidden, all he needs is the ability to travel through space."

Buffy was positive of that. Or the Doctor would never have been so worried about people in this time period getting their hands on it in the first place.

Seo bit her lower lip.

"But… you're right," said Buffy. "At least the Master only knows about Dawn. Not about you. He… might not even know what the Key to Time is."

Seo nodded, very solemnly.

Buffy tugged Seo back to her feet. "I'll make sure he doesn't get either of you, anyways," Buffy assured her. Squeezed her hand. "Not losing you. Not like Luke."

Seo's eyes turned sad. So desperately sad. "Luke…" she whispered.

A tear falling down her cheek.

As she and Buffy continued on their journey.

* * *

It hadn't taken Faith and Xander long to work out who, on the boat, was ratting them out to the Master. And that the boatman wanted information on 'Dawn Summers'.

Someone must have learned the plan. Told the Master.

Or the Master had managed to see past Seo's careful manipulation of data, so that he'd noticed the many records in which Dawn actually existed.

They were careful. Cautious.

Made sure they never interacted with Dawn more than they had to.

Never acted like they had a clue who anyone was talking about, when they mentioned a 'Dawn Summers'.

Glasgow was just ahead.

And the moment they found Buffy, the hard part would be over.


	35. Chapter 35

Seo's World: 

Problem was… Buffy _wasn't_ good at sewing or dollmaking.

"No, you're doing it wrong," said one of the wierdos she worked with at the Doublemeat Palace. He snatched the doll out of her hands. "You gotta do it like this."

By the end of the evening, her Doctor-doll was ruined.

So Buffy couldn't sew. Couldn't create a kid's doll that showed just how much she adored the Doctor, the same way he could do with her. Couldn't create a kid's doll that even vaguely resembled him.

Fine.

But it still wasn't fair to have Seo only have a doll of _Buffy,_ sitting in her crib and protecting her from the forces of darkness. That might have been what those Monks wanted Seo to think — that it was Buffy, alone, that was good at defeating the monsters. But Buffy was damned if she was going to let Seo grow up not knowing that her father was mega-superhero-like, too.

So… Buffy cheated.

Broke down, went into a toy shop, and ordered a doll. Custom made. Gave them a photo of what she wanted it to look like.

And told no one.

Buffy figured she'd just… give Seo the doll, and not mention she'd hired someone else to make it. Who made the doll didn't matter, anyways. The point was… Seo needed to know that _both_ her parents were super awesome monster fighters, and definitely doll-worthy. Not just her mom.

That'd show those stupid Monks.

* * *

In the toyshop, the dollmaker bent over his work. An evil smile on his face. Surveying the doll he was being asked to create — such a doll, for such a baby!

The Slayer's daughter.

Oh, yes. He couldn't pass this one up. The chance to take down the Slayer? No, the dollmaker couldn't pass this one up, at all.

He opened up his magical spell-book, and began to create.

* * *

When Buffy collected the finished doll from the toyshop, it looked… actually, pretty perfect. Okay, not obviously shining with the same kind of love and adoration as the Buffy-doll, but… it was definitely him. The Doctor. Complete with sonic and spiky hair and that boyish grin on his face.

Buffy went home, leaned over Seo's crib, and showed the doll to Seo. "See?" she said, handing it to her. "It's Daddy."

Seo actually stopped sucking on the Buffy-doll's head for a few moments, as she surveyed the new Doctor-doll. Her eyes lingering on it, trying to understand.

"Daddy," Buffy repeated, bringing the doll even closer.

Seo took the Buffy-doll out of her mouth. Grabbed up the Doctor-doll, instead. Still just looking at it, studying it, trying to get it through her mind. That that doll… was of her daddy.

Then a light seemed to turn on in her eyes, and she put the Doctor-doll beside the Buffy-doll. Then looked back up at her mom.

"That's right!" said Buffy. "Mommy and Daddy. Both fighting off the monsters. _Together_."

Seo beamed. Turned back to her dolls. Studying them, once again.

Buffy, satisfied, slipped out of the room to go check on her own mom. See if she needed any help, or if the headaches had gotten any better.

She didn't notice as the Doctor-doll turned its head, all by itself, eyes following her out of the room.

But Seo did.

* * *

"You know… I never had dolls of my parents, growing up," said Willow. She sighed. "But… I guess my parents weren't both superheroes who saved the world."

Seo had brought her Doctor, Buffy, and vampire dolls to the Magic Box, and was playing with them on the floor. Tara was helping her play, making little voices for the different dolls, moving them around and acting out scenarios.

"Oh, no," said Tara, moving one of the vampire plushies over to Seo. "It's a vampire! What's going to happen, now?"

Seo thought a long moment. Then moved the Buffy-doll forward, towards the vampire, making baby-garbled speech sounds, as she did.

"That's right!" said Tara. Picking up the Buffy-doll. "Mommy comes in and gets rid of the vampire!" She reached over for the Doctor-doll. "And then Daddy…"

Seo grabbed up the Doctor-doll, pulling it away from Tara.

"No, no, no," said Xander. "You don't get the Doctor-doll involved unless there are aliens."

Tara looked at the large collection of toys. Lots of vampires and demons, but… no aliens, to speak of. Not even a UFO.

"We need to get her the alien invasion play set," Tara told the others.

The door to the Magic Box opened, and the Doctor and Buffy walked in, in mid-conversation.

"…definitely moved," the Doctor was telling Buffy. "All by itself! No strings, no wires, no mechanics or robotics or anything! Just moved."

"You're just jealous because Seo likes my doll so much," said Buffy, with a grin.

The Doctor turned, noticing Seo down on the ground. Analyzing the Doctor-doll in her hands. Studying it carefully, with curious eyes.

His own eyes narrowed, as they fell on the doll. "I think we should get rid of it."

Buffy's grin widened, as she knelt down on the ground beside Seo. She glanced up at the Doctor. "Watch this," she said. Then, addressing Seo, asked, "Who fights off the Daleks and keeps the monsters away from you, Seo?"

Seo looked up at the Doctor. Then down at the doll. Then raised the doll up towards its real-life counterpart.

"That's right!" said Buffy. "Daddy does! And he's just as much a hero as Mommy. No matter what a bunch of stupid Monks say."

"Monks?" Willow muttered.

Buffy didn't explain.

The Doctor studied the doll of himself. Then shook his head. A frown on his face. "There's something wrong about it," he muttered, turning away. "Something very, very wrong about that doll."

* * *

Seo awoke, that night. In her crib. The Doctor-doll had moved. Not a lot, but… it was now standing, over Seo, its hand raised above her.

Seo studied the doll. Babbled at it, softly, in baby-speak, as she snatched it up. She wanted to stuff its head into her mouth. That was _fun_. She _liked_ stuffing things into her mouth. But then… she stopped.

The doll's lips formed a grin.

Seo looked between the Doctor-doll and the Buffy-doll. Reached out for the Buffy-doll's face, trying to figure out why _its_ lips didn't move on their own. Why _its_ hands and neck and feet didn't move.

The Doctor-doll, very slowly, began to raise up its hands, towards Seo's neck. That tiny little grin still plastered onto its face.

The door to Seo's room thudded open, and the real Doctor rushed in. The doll went completely still in Seo's hands, the grin no longer on its face.

The Doctor looked at the doll. Then laughed, shook his head.

"Course not," he muttered. "That'd be daft. Doll can't move on its own."

But he still kept checking, over his shoulder, as he left the room.

* * *

Joyce was trying to soothe a persistent headache, as she helped her granddaughter play with the new doll. It was… the weirdest thing, but… sometimes, she thought she could see the doll… moving. Just out of the corner of her eye.

She stood up, walked over to Seo's new doll. Seo was beaming at it, happy and excited, her face lit up as if with sunlight.

"Seo," said Joyce. "Does that doll… move?"

"Good question," said the Doctor, from the doorway. His eyes were fixed on Seo and the doll. A worried frown on his lips. He strode over, no hint of amusement on his face, surveying Seo. Then reached out and grabbed up the doll.

Tears filled Seo's eyes, as it was taken away from her. She sniffled, then began to cry, kicking and screaming.

The Doctor ignored her.

Narrowed his eyes at the mini version of himself.

"What are you up to?" he asked it, his voice edged with threat. "What are you planning?"

Joyce jerked the doll out of his hands, angrily, and handed it back to Seo. "That's _her_ toy," Joyce said. "Not yours."

The moment Seo got her hands back on the doll, she quieted down. Hugged it to her, tightly, wide brown eyes fixed on the Doctor.

"So that's your game," the Doctor whispered. " _Her_."

Seo hugged the doll a little tighter.

The Doctor turned to Joyce. "The doll's evil," he said. "Enchanted. Demon doll. Well…" He whipped out his sonic screwdriver, scanned it up and down, analyzed the readings. "Yep. Demon doll." He tucked the sonic into his pocket. "Take it from me. Best thing for everyone? Destroy it."

Joyce gaped at him, open mouthed. She wanted to ask him where he got off, telling her what to do, when he was the most irresponsible, miserable excuse for a son-in-law she could imagine. Particularly since, what with the lack of marriage, he wasn't even technically her son-in-law at all! But she never got the chance.

Because with one dark look back at the doll, the Doctor spun on his heels, and marched out the door.

* * *

It had begun when Giles had sold — without really thinking about it — a bunch of giant-snake-monster-conjuring magic stuff to some lady wearing a red dress. Curly blond hair, a deranged smile, and… okay, basically, it was pretty obvious to all the Scoobies exactly who this was.

Which meant Buffy's big bad was about to conjure a snake.

"Tara and Willow already went out searching for the monster," Giles told Buffy, over the phone. "But we've still had no sightings of anything large and reptilian."

Anya rolled her eyes, by the cash register. She'd been the one to work out what Giles had done, before anyone else.

Giles nodded. "Don't worry," he assured Buffy, glancing at the playing Seo. "We'll look after her."

And, with a rushed goodbye, hung up the phone.

"Has anyone else noticed that Seo's been acting weirder and weirder since she got that Doctor-doll?" asked Xander. Today was the first time Xander had seen her without the Doctor-doll, since she'd first gotten it.

"She likes it," said Tara. "She's only had it a few days. Give her a chance to get bored with it."

"There's liking, and then there's obsessed," said Xander. Thinking back to the time, yesterday, when he'd tried to take the doll away from her, and she'd hugged it to her chest, snarling at him. "I keep feeling like she's going to start saying, 'gollum, gollum' and calling it her 'precious'."

"She doesn't have it, now," Willow pointed out.

Giles was cleaning up one of the displays. He glanced over at them, a little concerned. "The Doctor believes… he's seen it moving."

"That's ridiculous," Willow insisted. "Buffy made that doll herself. There's no way she'd make it evil."

Xander nodded, slowly. "Call me unobservant, but… I never knew that Buffy could sew."

"And Buffy never actually said she made it herself," Anya pointed out.

Tara looked down at Seo, carefully. Studying her, as she played with her stuffed Dracula doll. The current game of choice seemed to be whacking the doll against the ground while making excited squealing sounds.

"I don't think she's under any evil influence," said Tara. She glanced over at Willow. "We could always do a spell to check."

Seo stopped whacking the doll, as her eyes landed on the new items that Giles had placed on the shelves. She gave a baby-cry-of-excitement as she crawled over, Dracula doll still in hand, to get a better look.

"No!" shouted Anya, lunging for Seo before she could reach up and knock over the shelf. She grabbed up the baby, snatching her back. "Bad baby!"

Seo looked up at Anya. Giggled. Waving her Dracula doll — still covered with baby-spit — in Anya's face.

Anya squealed, almost dropping Seo onto the ground. "Ew!" she shouted. "Baby germs!"

Xander extracted Seo from Anya before the girl could go flying, and set her down on the tabletop. Then went over to his girlfriend, draping an arm across her shoulders. "It's okay, An," he said, leading her to the bathroom. "We'll wash it off."

The door to the Magic Box slammed open, and in stomped a very angry Doctor. One glance at him, and Anya squeaked, then raced off into the back room — just in case the anger was due to the fact that he'd somehow worked out what a vengeance demon was and what he was supposed to be doing to her.

The Doctor didn't notice Anya, though.

His eyes were fixed on Seo.

He slammed his hands down on the tabletop, leaning in close to Seo, rage in his eyes. "Where is it?"

Seo shuddered back, hugging her Dracula doll, tightly.

"Where is it?!" the Doctor shouted. "Where did you hide it, you miserable little girl?!"

"Doctor!" shouted Willow.

Tara scooped up Seo into her arms, as the child burst into tears.

"You think you're so clever," snarled the Doctor. Advancing on Tara and Seo. "You think I can't see! But I've noticed what you two are up to. And it's not going to stop me!" His eyes narrowed. "And first chance I get, I'll rip that doll of yours to shreds."

Seo sobbed even harder, burying her face into Tara's chest.

"Doctor," Giles commanded, in a stern voice, "I suggest you leave."

He gave them a hard, dark look. Then turned, and stomped out of the room.

For a few seconds, the Magic Box was completely silent, save for Seo's frantic, terrified crying. And Tara's soft, gentle shushes, as she tried to soothe the girl.

"You know… that was taking the 'kind of a jerk' act to a new extreme," Xander pointed out.

"Yeah," said Willow. Still staring at the spot where the Doctor had once been. "Wow."

Giles rushed over to his books. "It could be… some lingering side effect," he proposed. "From his meeting with Glory. Perhaps some sort of… manipulation, causing him to secretly work to her agenda."

Seo's crying quieted, as she began to squirm in Tara's arms. Fighting, frantically, to be released. The Dracula doll dropped to the ground.

Tara, with only a little hesitation, let her down.

The moment Seo was let free, she rushed forward, crawling as if her life depended on it. Crawling back towards one of the display cases, upon which was an overflowing, sparkly collection of colorful amulets.

"Seo, don't—!" Willow warned.

But Seo grabbed behind the amulets, and brought out… the Doctor-doll.

She hugged it to her chest, tightly. Curling around it, not wanting to let it go.

Giles wiped off his glasses, realizing… that Seo _had_ hidden it. Just as the Doctor had accused her of doing.

Seo looked up at them, and began babbling in garbled baby-speak. Her speech wracked with sobs and sniffles and occasional bouts of crying.

In her arms… the doll began to move.

Slowly, as if with a great strain. But… definitely moving. On its own.

"Good Lord," Giles muttered.

Willow tried to rush over to take the doll away from Seo, but Tara held her back. A very serious expression on Tara's face, as she watched Seo and the doll.

The doll, slowly but surely, spread out his arms, wrapping them, much as he could in his tiny doll body, gently around Seo's neck. A grin appearing on its face.

"It could be trying to strangle her!" said Willow. "The Doctor was right. It's… an evil doll. Enchanted!"

Tara just shook her head. Then walked forward, and knelt by Seo.

"Seo," she said, in a very soft voice. "That man. Who came in here and yelled at you. Was that your daddy?"

The sudden rush of tears in Seo's eyes seemed to confirm that it wasn't.

Tara shushed her, stroking her back.

"Where's your daddy, Seo?" Tara asked. "Where is he, really?"

Seo looked up at Tara. Looked deep into her eyes. Then, with only a hint of hesitation, showed Tara the doll.

It winked at her.


	36. Chapter 36

Martha's World:

Glasgow was a labor town.

It wasn't a land of pure evil with poisonous air, like Mordor. But it was filled with suffering and devastation and loss. Filled with people packed into houses like sardines, only allowed out to work.

Most of the rest of the city, while abandoned, was still standing. Tons of hiding spots.

Thankfully for Buffy and Seo.

The first thing they'd done, when they arrived in Glasgow, was to seek out the resistance. Which was, of course, expecting them. The resistance had whisper channels and things that Buffy and Seo could use to their advantage. Figure out where to meet up with Dawn and the others, and whether or not they'd come in, yet.

"We have word that Faith Lehane is on a boat, headed here," said one of the resistance members. "She should arrive later today."

In the meantime, Buffy and Seo told stories. Helped bolster the spirits of those in Glasgow, helped bolster up Martha's plans. Buffy smiling, as she told people of her own time spent with the Doctor. The ways in which he'd defeated monsters and saved the day, even when everything seemed hopeless.

And Seo spent a lot of time thinking. Just thinking, very hard, staring into space.

"I can't jump into this," she explained, to Buffy. "It's not just about finding a way to get around the Paradox Machine or the Archangel Network, so we can open a portal. The two of us will be channeling more energy than we've ever channeled, before." She fidgeted in place. "If I don't do this right… I'll destroy my aunt, completely."

Buffy sucked in a sharp breath.

It was risky. She'd known it would be risky, right from the start. But… to help save the people of Earth… to give the Doctor enough of an upper hand that he could take down the Master…

"I believe in you," Buffy told Seo. Put an arm around her shoulders. "You'll find a way."

The moment Dawn's boat arrived in Glasgow, the resistance coordinated a meeting spot.

"An old warehouse," they said. "We'll make sure the others have the exact location."

Buffy and Seo nodded. Then set off for the warehouse in question.

This was it. The final stretch.

Nearly time to save humanity.

* * *

Faith, Xander, and Dawn snuck off the boat. Trying to stick to the crowds of people. Locate shelter. Get around unseen.

"Glasgow's… a lot bigger than I thought," Xander muttered, staring around him.

He'd never actually thought about how they'd manage to find Seo and Buffy, when they arrived here.

A ragged-looking man walked right into them, stumbled backwards. "Pardon me," the man muttered, in a thick Scottish accent, then pushed past them and went on his way, again.

Faith looked down at the slip of paper the man had managed to shove into her hand, when he'd walked into them. Gestured at the others to follow her to cover, then opened the note and read it.

Exact location for Buffy and Seo.

"Gotcha," said Faith, with a grin.

* * *

Buffy had never been more happy to see anyone than she had been to see the bedraggled, worn, tired-looking image of her sister, entering the warehouse. The moment Dawn and Buffy spotted each other, they raced towards one another, arms outstretched, each grabbing the other up into a tight hug.

They'd only spoken to each other two months ago.

But it felt like lifetimes.

"You're all right," Buffy breathed.

"So are you," said Dawn.

They separated, and Dawn looked over at Seo. Grinned.

"Come here!" Dawn said, grabbing up Seo into a hug, as well.

Faith glanced over at Xander, who'd gone very still.

"What?" said Faith.

"Do… you hear that?" Xander whispered to her.

Faith paused. Frowned. Concentrating.

And the moment Faith's eyes went wide, the moment she heard it, Buffy heard it, too. The tick-tick-tick sound, coming from nearby.

"Bomb," Buffy and Faith said, together, as they grabbed up everyone and sprinted out of the building.

The blast knocked them to the ground, Buffy and Faith managing to dive out of the way of most of the wreckage, Seo tugging Dawn along behind her, to outrun the explosion. The entire city shook around them, the fires from the explosion smoldering, the crater resulting from the blast just beside them all.

They panted for air.

And then realized… one of them hadn't made it.

"Xander!" Seo shouted. She scrambled to her feet, preparing to launch herself down into the crater, and search for him.

Buffy and Faith both pulled Seo back.

They all knew… UFC troops and Toclafane wouldn't be far behind, now. Looking for them. Picking off survivors.

"He's gone," said Buffy. "We have to run!"

"No!" Seo screamed, fighting against Faith and Buffy. "No! Xander! He can't be—!"

"Seo!" Dawn shouted.

Seo's eyes were bitter, pained, her heart looking like it was about to break in half, as her eyes remained glued on the crater that had claimed Xander's life.

But she didn't resist the others. As they all turned.

And fled.

* * *

"We believe the three of them escaped the blast," ADC Urxin reported. "But troops are already on their way. And the Toclafane you sent should be more than able to shoot them down."

The Master mused this over, interested.

Not just because Elizabeth had survived, again. Not just because of the mysterious 'Dawn Summers'. No. Also because… of what the Toclafane had been chattering about, recently.

That the 'invisible lady' was in Glasgow.

That was very interesting. Led the Master to think… what if 'Dawn Summers' was just a code name?

For Martha Jones?

"Set up transport down to Earth," said the Master. "Let the city residents of Glasgow know that if they don't hand over Summers and her team, every single last one of them will be killed." He grinned. "I think it's time… I took care of Elizabeth and her mysterious ally myself."

* * *

Seo cried for a long time.

Cried until she had no more tears to shed.

But, that evening, managed to put aside enough of her distress and misery to try to make this happen. She and Dawn launched into frantic negotiations, trying to figure out how to open a portal without running into the Paradox Machine, the Archangel Network, or wiping Dawn's personality.

From not far away, Buffy and Faith looked on. Together.

The Valiant loomed overhead.

"Xander," Buffy said.

Faith nodded.

They were silent, for a few moments. Just letting the loss sink in.

"Willow, too?" Faith asked.

Buffy sighed, in affirmation. "And Alison. And Luke. Everyone except Seo and me."

"All of us, too," said Faith. "Kennedy. Andrew. All the Slayers. Ria."

"Cleveland," Buffy added. "Just a radioactive wasteland, now." She glanced at Faith. "The Scythe?"

"No idea," said Faith. "Might have survived. Might not. No clue."

So there was no way of knowing if the Slayer Line was still going strong, or if the Master had just wiped out all the Potentials and Slayers together, in a blast of oblivion.

They looked up at the Valiant, in the night sky.

"Weird, huh?" Buffy mused. She crossed her arms. "The two of us. Surviving. Here, together, standing united. What might be the Last of the Slayers, facing down the Last of the Time Lords."

"Two in all the world," Faith agreed.

"I guess… if they're the last two… they won't kill each other," said Buffy. Her forehead creased. "Not unless the Master figures out a way to get Rose."

"Like when I shot Angel, you mean," said Faith. She shoved tangled hair behind her ears. "Remember that. You flipped."

"Total flipped," Buffy agreed. "First time I was angry enough to actually kill you. Same way you always wanted to kill me."

"Never wanted to kill you," Faith replied. She shrugged. "Torture you, yeah. Course. Hurt you, uh-huh. Threaten to kill you — obviously. But actually kill you?" Her eyes met the ground. "Not sure I could have gone through with it."

They stood together. Looking out at the night sky.

Two girls, in all the world.

Buffy gave a small grin. "Do you remember… how many times I begged you to let me help you? To see a better way?" She laughed. "You _hated_ that."

"Got to learn, sometime, B," Faith replied. "Not everyone _wants_ to be forgiven." She shoved her hands into her back pockets, slouching. "Sometimes… gotta leave the punches to do the talking."

"Would that have stopped you?" Buffy asked.

Faith's eyes darted into the distance. "Probably not," she admitted. "Good thinking it, though."

"Yeah."

They were silent, again. Remembering days they'd been united. The days they'd been rivals. The days they'd been enemies. And the moment they'd finally managed to fight on the same side, again.

"He'll be fine, up there," said Faith. "The Doctor." She rolled her eyes. "Long as he's not all B-like, on his high-horse, being all with the I-forgive-yous and the I-can-help-yous. Should be fine."

Buffy gave Faith a pointed stare. "Have you _met_ the Doctor, before?"

Faith slouched.

"You're right, though, he's fine," Buffy agreed. "I'm sure he's fine. He… just… _has_ to be." She sucked in a sharp breath. "If there's any way… I could get up there… to help him…"

"We'll be dead long before that," Faith said. "Both of us."

"Don't say that."

Faith shrugged. "True, though." She nodded at Seo and Dawn. "Master knows about Dawn. Up to us to give ourselves up, fight off the UFC single-handed, give Dawn and Seo as much time to make this work as they need."

Buffy didn't answer.

She knew that was true. Knew she needed to give up her own life, if she had to, in order to make sure Seo and Dawn fixed all of this. But she also knew that… if she got the chance to go up to the Valiant, even just as a prisoner… Buffy would do it. Just to see the Doctor, again. Just to try to help him.

"Does the Master know there's two Dawns?" Buffy asked Faith.

"No idea," said Faith. "Why?"

"Because if he thinks there's only one, he might be able to use his rockets to tear the universe apart, piece by piece — but won't be able to construct a stable portal, so he can start in on the rest of the multiverse," Buffy said. "If he knows there's two…"

Faith grimaced.

"Everything's up for grabs," Buffy said.

"Better make sure he doesn't find out, then," Faith replied.

* * *

Up on the Valiant, the aged Doctor, chained to his wheelchair, had been placed in front of the window. The Master looking over his shoulder, down at the world below.

Two Time Lords… in all the universe…

"Thought I'd go get your Elizabeth myself," said the Master. "By hand."

The Doctor didn't answer.

"Along with… the other one, traveling with her," the Master continued. "The 'Invisible Lady'. I hear she has a very… sunrise personality."

The Doctor persisted in saying nothing.

The Master shoved the Doctor's wheelchair away. When he did find Elizabeth and 'Dawn Summers', maybe _that_ would be enough to get a reaction out of the Doctor. Because… the way the Doctor was right now…

Was really starting to bug the Master.

Where was the pleading, on his knees, begging Doctor that the Master had expected? Where was the constantly-but-futilely-fighting-back Doctor that the Master had prepared for?

"Your plan's failed, Gandalf," the Master snapped. "Elizabeth and the blessed saint Martha are nearly in my grasp. I just have to collect them." He turned. "Maybe their deaths will be enough to provoke some reaction out of you."


	37. Chapter 37

Seo's World:

"But… if the real Doctor's stuck in that doll," said Joyce, over the phone, "then who's the person we _thought_ was the Doctor?"

"We don't know," came Giles' voice, over the earpiece. "But we believe he'll attempt some sort of drastic violent action, sometime soon. He knows that Seo worked out he's an imposter, and he's afraid. Are you alone?"

"Buffy's coming home any minute," said Joyce. "I'll be…" She stopped, as the door opened. Smiled. "That's her, now."

And hung up the phone.

She went into the front room, to greet Buffy. Then stopped, as she noticed who it was. Or… who it _wasn't_.

"You," said Joyce.

The pinstripe suited figure stared at Joyce with bitter, hateful eyes. Then, with a sneer, advanced on her.

* * *

Buffy had been out looking for the giant reptile monster thing that Red Dress Lady had conjured up, right after work. With no success.

Which meant Buffy was late getting home.

She'd called the Doctor to let him know. Okay, not know about the reptile, but know that she was coming home late. She asked him to swing by the Magic Box and pick up Seo for her.

Which, considering that it was the Doctor, meant that he'd probably already worked out that there was a reason she was coming home late, had gone to the Magic Box, tricked her friends into telling him everything, and was off getting rid of the giant reptile monster right now.

On second thought, Buffy probably just should have called Mom, and asked her to pick up Seo, instead.

She opened the front door, and stepped inside.

"Mom!" she called, as she entered. "Is Seo…?"

She stopped in her tracks, as she saw her mom tied up to a chair, bound and gagged. The Doctor standing beside her, two swords in his hands. One pressed to her mom's throat.

"One wrong move, Slayer," the Doctor warned, "and she dies."

Buffy put her hands up in surrender, standing very still. Trying to figure out what was going on. How she could take her advantage.

"You're not him," Buffy said.

"About time you noticed," said the Not-Doctor. He glanced down at the other sword in his hand, a malicious smile on his face. "It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. The chance to take down a Slayer. The chance to get close to her, her family, her friends, and then use their lives to make her give up her own."

"What did you do to him?" Buffy demanded. "What did you do to Seo?"

"I wouldn't worry," snarled the Not-Doctor. "You're never going to see any of them again." Then, with lightning speed, he lunged for her with the swords, slashing down at her head.

He was thrown to the ground as a blur sprung past Buffy, through the door, and collided with the Not-Doctor.

Buffy stared.

"Spike?!"

The Not-Doctor got the upper hand, throwing Spike off of him and slashing down with a sword. Buffy flipped forward, kicking the swords from the not-Doctor's hands, and shoving him back against the wall. She could see in his brown eyes — it really wasn't him in there. Not at all.

"Well, at least, unlike the Doctor and Faith, I didn't make out with you while you were body-swapped," said Buffy. Then knocked him out cold with a well-aimed punch to the head.

She turned on her heel, to face Spike — who was peeling himself up off the floor, trying to catch his breath. She crossed her arms and cleared her throat.

Spike froze beneath her stare.

Then jumped to his feet, looking around himself, in pretend bewilderment. "Oh, is this… your house?" he asked. "Thought it was a mausoleum. Not that it'd make one bloody bit of difference to me. Goodbye."

And ran out the front door.

Buffy looked after him, confusion written across her features. Then sighed, and got to work. Untying her mom, and using the ropes and restraints to tie up the pretend Doctor.

It was her mom who told her the truth.

* * *

The moment Buffy burst into the Magic Box, she dropped the tied up imposter Doctor onto the ground, then rushed forward to Seo, grabbed her up in a tight embrace. Not wanting to let her go.

Her beautiful baby girl.

Then she looked up at her friends. "Where's… the real…?"

Giles gestured at the doll, propped up in the center of the table. It slowly, almost painfully, turned its head to look at Buffy.

"Buffy," said Xander. "You… didn't actually make that doll yourself, right?"

"I got it from a toyshop," Buffy confessed. "I didn't think it was a big deal."

Anya laughed. "You went to a toyshop in _Sunnydale_ , and thought it wouldn't be evil? What town have you been living in?"

The doll looked like it was trying, desperately, to move its arm and wave to her. But couldn't quite manage it.

"I don't think the doll's supposed to be able to move," said Willow, magic book open in front of her. She pointed at the passage she was reading in the book. "This is a spell to transfer a living soul into a material that can't be moved or manipulated by any internal sources." She passed the book over to Buffy. "We're pretty sure it's the one used to transfer the Doctor in there."

Buffy glanced over the passage.

"He must be getting it to move using a huge amount of willpower," said Tara. "Or… doing something smart."

Buffy sat down in a seat, her eyes fixed on the book.

"We can use a variant of the same spell to push the demon out and get him back in his normal body," Willow offered. "The demon will wind up in the doll, and then we can destroy it."

Buffy sighed, in irritation. "I should have known," she muttered. "I should have figured it out sooner! I was just so worried about Mom, I didn't even think…"

That was when the window of the Magic Box was smashed in, and a gigantic snake monster crashed into the shop, tongue hissing, body slithering forward, eyes piercing and yellow.

Eyes that fell on Seo.

Seo didn't cry out. Didn't scream. Just examined it, a spark of ignited curiosity in her face.

The monster stopped in its tracks, hissing, its eyes still trained on the tiny baby in Buffy's arms. Seo giggled, and reached out to it. Buffy clutched Seo even tighter, prepared to face off against this snake monster one handed, if she had to.

Then the monster turned, and fled.

"Wow," said Xander. "One look at Buffy, and it freaked."

But… no. No, it hadn't been one look at _Buffy_. Buffy knew that. It had been… one look at…

Buffy turned to Giles. Eyes wide and terrified. "It knows."

* * *

They hadn't even thought. Had just shouted at Willow and Tara to fix the Doctor, then jumped into Giles' car and raced after the snake, fast as they could. Hadn't even stopped to realize… that Buffy was still holding…

"Seo!" Buffy cried. Her voice edging with panic. She glanced up at Giles. "Giles, we took her with us!"

As the snake monster smashed into a gate, and slithered into a park, Giles slammed on the breaks. "Leave her here," Giles urged. "I'll look after her."

Buffy handed Seo to Giles, then jumped out of the car, racing after the snake monster. She chased it down hills, across a bike path, grabbing up a broken chain from a fence as she went. When she finally cornered it, she began striking at it with all she had in her, flipping herself up and strangling it with the chain, smashing its head until she was certain it was dead.

She tried to catch her breath. Looking down at the dead monster beneath her.

If the Doctor were here, he'd have been upset. He'd have told her it was a living creature, and she should have found a better way.

Good thing he wasn't here.

Buffy got up, began walking back to Giles' car. Feeling completely drained of energy.

Halfway there, she heard a musical laugh echo up from the ground. Buffy glanced down, to find…

"Seo," she said, picking up the baby girl. "Did you follow me?"

The sound of a panting, desperate Giles confirmed Buffy's suspicions. He noticed Seo in Buffy's arms, and gave a breath of relief.

"She… slipped out of my grasp," Giles said, through pants. "Ran off before I could grab her. I was trying to look for her, but out here, at night… she's terribly hard to find."

Buffy smiled down at Seo — who had a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, and was pointing at an apartment building nearby and giggling. Buffy patted the girl's head, affectionately.

"She's her father's daughter, all right," Buffy said. Cuddled her. "Always out looking for trouble."

With a nod at Giles, she went back to his car.

"Guess we better find out if the spell worked," Buffy said.

* * *

It worked.

After which they burned the doll, stormed the toyshop, and made sure everything and everyone was put back the way it should be.

Seo cried, as the now-demon-containing doll was incinerated.

"She thinks it's still you," Buffy told the Doctor.

The next day, when Buffy went to Seo's crib, she found a second doll by the Buffy-doll. This one of the Doctor, sonic in hand, smiling with a look that said, "I'm brilliant!"

She knew who'd made it.

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Martha's World:

When the full force of the Master's strike against them in Glasgow came… Buffy and Faith knew they stood no chance.

No chance at all.

It began with bombings. Of some of the workhouses. Of public places. Of residences. Of anywhere with people, really. Followed by the information that this would continue — until the townspeople handed over Summers and the two others.

" _Two_ others," Seo hissed.

Which meant… the Master had worked out that Dawn existed. But still thought there was only one of her. Only one Dawn Summers.

"You two hide," Buffy told Seo and Dawn, as the desperate city chased them. "Faith and I will distract the UFC."

Seo and Dawn ran.

But Dawn stopped Seo, before they got too far.

"I know what the Master wants to do to Buffy," said Dawn. "I've seen him do it to Elizabeth. He'll turn her insane. And not even killing him would be enough to stop it." She bunched her hands into fists. "We can't let him do that to her, again."

And so they crept back.

Watched, as the Master, himself, descended from the Valiant. Flanked by his loyal troops and bodyguards, what looked like an oversized sonic screwdriver in his hand.

The labor camp workers of Glasgow brought Buffy and Faith forward. An offering, to appease the man they thought of as their Master.

"Elizabeth!" the Master cried, delighted. He twirled the screwdriver around in his hands. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Oh, I've had enough of this, already," Faith snapped. Then, in a surge of power and movement, she broke free from those restraining her, flew through the air, and leapt towards the Master.

The Master, unconcerned, blasted her with the screwdriver.

And Faith fell to the ground. Dead. Her corpse burned from the searing flash.

"That was fun," said the Master, beaming. "Who's next?"

Buffy looked between the dead Faith, and the Master. Not moving a muscle, as the Master advanced on her, screwdriver aimed at her chest.

"Funny," said Buffy, in a quiet voice. Showing no outward signs of fear, as she faced him down. "I could have sworn I killed you, last time we met." She paused, reflecting. "Okay, granted… you killed me, too. And you can see how well _that_ worked."

Seo frowned. She hadn't thought her mom had met the Time Lord Master before.

The Master didn't answer Buffy. His eyes were searching through the crowd. Searching… searching…

Dawn and Seo exchanged a look.

They both knew who he was searching for.

"You know," said the Master, his eyes on the crowd. "I said 'Summers and the other two'. And this…" Gesturing at Buffy and the dead Faith, "…is only one."

The labor workers huddled in fear.

"Which means," the Master concluded, in a loud voice, "that if the so-called 'Dawn Summers' doesn't reveal herself… this entire city is going to be destroyed. This city, and every man, woman, and child therein." His eyes rested back on Buffy. "And, of course… Elizabeth."

Dawn and Seo said nothing. Didn't dare to move.

"I'm waiting!" the Master sing-songed.

Dawn leaned down, closer to Seo. Whispered, "Look, whatever you have to do to open the portal… just do it now."

"I can't—" Seo whispered back.

"Without killing me, I know," said Dawn. "So kill me. Do it. Whatever. But do it, now. It's the world, Seo."

"No, I mean, really, I can't, yet!" Seo insisted. "I'm not able to, right now. With Xander's death and the emotional trauma and… and… everything. If I were better at psychic manipulation, maybe I'd stand a chance, but I'm not. I can't do it!"

"Are you lying?" Dawn asked.

Seo hesitated. "I… I can't do it," she said. Looking out at Buffy, intense worry in her eyes. "I just… can't."

Dawn thought this over. Then… her face fell. As she seemed to realize that, if Seo wasn't cooperating… Dawn had no real choice.

She turned, tried to scuttle out of the hiding place, but Seo pulled her back, forcefully enough to make sure she wasn't going anywhere.

"If you can't create the portal, I have to turn myself in!" Dawn whispered. "Seo, he's looking for _me_!"

"He's looking for one of us," Seo hissed back. "The moment he hears I'm Seosyrae, he'll assume they've been talking about me. Second Dawn — second chance for Gallifrey. That's how he'll think of it."

Dawn shook her head.

"It has to be one of us," said Seo, in a soft voice. "But he never said which one. And the most important thing…"

"Is that he never gets his hands on both at once," Dawn agreed. "I remember."

For a few moments, they said nothing. Both just staring at each other, not sure what to do. Each knowing they'd never let the other go.

"Rationally," Dawn said. "We… have to do this rationally. Figure out… which of us would do the best for the world by staying here, and which of us would be the most catastrophic in the Master's hands."

"Agreed," Seo said.

Nearby, the Master was growing impatient. He turned to the crowd, and blasted someone at random. Someone who screamed, and then crumpled to the ground, dead.

"You're connected to the Key to Time, in this universe," Seo said. "Unstable. What's more… you could lead the Master straight to it. That makes it more dangerous for you to turn yourself in."

Dawn shook her head. "The Doctor's the only one who knows where the Key to Time is," said Dawn. "And he'll never tell. Besides. The rest of the Key to Time could be half way across the universe from here, and I'll be dead before the Master makes it that far. And, even if he does, the Key to Time's got to have serious defenses around it."

Seo said nothing.

"There's one big issue, here, that we have to remember," said Dawn. "I'm human. You're not. You're the closest thing the Master has to a female of his own race. And he's looking to create a 'New Gallifrey'."

"That's looking at what's best for me!" Seo retorted, in a harsh whisper. "Not what's best for the universe! We said we wouldn't do that."

"You have to keep it in mind, though," Dawn replied.

For a while, the two of them said nothing. Both staring at one another.

"Okay, fine," Dawn conceded. "Rational. Logical. What's best for the universe. I'll go with that." She thought it over. "So… you. You're smarter than me. You could do a lot more good, down here. You could… I don't know. Wander around the world helping children, or something! You'd like that."

Seo's eyes drifted to the ground. "You could also—"

"Everyone died getting me here," said Dawn. "I'm no good by myself."

Seo hesitated. "But—"

"And you're way more powerful, too," Dawn continued. "You're part-Glory, right? Glory's power in the hands of the Master… that'd be, like, super on the bad factor. Not to mention you've got all the Twilight training, in your head, trying to turn you into a super weapon. And the Master's looking for a weapon that could help him rule the universe."

Seo didn't answer.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Dawn. "Not just on a personal level, but on a completely rational, best-for- the-universe level. I'm a normal human, who can only be activated at one particular point in time — and the Master doesn't have a time machine to get there. If I show up on the Valiant, the Master will probably get rid of me long before he figures out I could be useful for something else. And I'd be totally useless, down here on Earth, as part of the resistance movement. _You_ can make a difference down on Earth, though. Do something amazing that normal humans like me wouldn't be able to do. Like… convince the Toclafane to turn against the Master! Or find Martha and help her." She shrugged. "It's me, Seo. Logically. Any way you look at it, it _has_ to be me who's sacrificed."

"If you turn yourself over to him, the Master will kill you," Seo said. "If I turn myself over, the Master will keep me alive — because of my father."

"I thought we agreed to look beyond the whole personal aspect thing," Dawn argued. "This is about what's best for the world. Best for the universe. Giving me over to the Master — that's the smart thing to do."

"The smart thing to do," Seo echoed.

Nearby, the Master killed another person. The smell of searing flesh wafting to Dawn and Seo's hiding spot.

Seo hesitated, a second longer. Then sighed. Nodded. Seemed to accept it. She swept Dawn into a tight hug.

"You're right," Seo said, into her ear, as she hugged her. "You should be the one who goes. That's… the smart thing to do."

Dawn smiled. Thankful that Seo had seen sense.

"Problem is," said Seo, "I'm an idiot."

Dawn's smile vanished, as Seo touched a nerve on the side of Dawn's neck, and Dawn collapsed, unconscious, in a heap on the ground.

Seo hid her as best she could. Then got to her feet. Turned.

And stepped out, into the open, to take Dawn's place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love that line. "Problem is, I'm an idiot." So wonderful!
> 
> Why did Seo refuse to create the portal? The Buffy Show does tell us that emotional instability screws with magical ability. Could she honestly not do it? Could she not bear to let Dawn die? Does she know that Buffy will need a guardian onboard the Valiant, and only Seo can fill that role? Or does she really feel she can fix the Toclafane?
> 
> I'll let you decide for yourselves.
> 
> But what she does at the end, to save Dawn, is extremely brave.


	38. Chapter 38

Martha's World:

Buffy knew, the moment Seo walked out, that the Master could see it. That the Monks' trick might have incorporated the Doctor into Seo's reality, enough that the Doctor couldn't see the glowing green energy around her, but… it hadn't incorporated the Master.

The Master could see the energy around Seo. He might not know what it was. But he could definitely see it.

Damn.

"I'm Seosyrae Summers," Seo told him. "The Toclafane's… 'Invisible Lady'. The key to the resistance plans." Her eyes fell on Buffy. "Let my mom go."

The Master surveyed Seo, carefully, musing over her. "Seosyrae," he repeated. Then broke down laughing. "Oh, that is… just… _too_ good!"

Buffy cringed. Her eyes meeting Seo's, trying to gesture at her daughter to flee. Flee for her life.

But Seo stayed put.

(And Buffy had known she would. Not just to save Buffy. But to give Dawn the chance to escape. To make sure she could distract the Master for long enough that Dawn could get away.)

"A second chance for Gallifrey!" said the Master. "A new race of Time Lords, created in his image! And he claims he doesn't act like a god!"

"At least he's not the one putting up giant statues of himself everywhere," Buffy muttered. "Mr. Ego-Trip."

The Master turned. Suddenly remembering Buffy. His eyes darted between Buffy and Seo, a predator choosing his prey.

"You know," he mused, easing over towards Buffy, "with her around," jerking his thumb back at Seo, "I don't really need you at all, anymore. Do I?"

Buffy's eyes narrowed. Her brain thinking overtime. Trying to come up with some way out of this.

"What are you going to do?" Buffy challenged, in a low voice. "Kill me, again, and hope I don't get all CPR-ified, this time?"

Desperately calling up every last memory that Buffy had of the Doctor mentioning his travels with Elizabeth. Desperately calling up everything she'd heard from Willow about how her other-self acted, before Willow had been shot down in Toclafane fire.

The Master stopped. Studying her, carefully.

Good. Very good. He already wanted to think she was the same. Wanted to believe she was the one he'd destroyed, in the other timeline. Just… accept it. Buy it.

Take the bait.

He shook his head, dismissing her, entirely. Then raised up the laser screwdriver.

"No!" shouted Seo, racing towards the Master. But the moment she began to run, the sounds of gunfire echoed, nearby.

"Extremities!" the Master snapped at the UFC troopers, surrounding him. "I want her alive!"

Seo fell. Her blood spilling across the ground. Her body fighting, desperately, to remain conscious. But… slowly… gradually… she lost the battle. And her eyes closed.

The Master turned back to Buffy.

"And now… you," said the Master.

Buffy pretended to struggle, in the UFCAs' grips — struggle with normal human strength. "Don't you dare!" Buffy shouted at the Master. "Not before I smack that bastard Doctor for doing what he did to me!"

The Master froze. Staring at her.

"Do you know how long I've spent cursing him?" Buffy snapped. "Hating him? He's tearing me apart from the inside out! And he won't stop!"

A small smile ignited on the Master's face.

"He's killing me!" Buffy shouted, in a wild frenzy. "Destroying me! He murdered my mother! Ruined my life!" Her eyes locked on Seo. "Saddled me with his worthless kid and then ditched me back on Earth!"

"And you want him to suffer for it?" the Master guessed.

Buffy met his eyes with her own. "Yes," she hissed. "I want to make him pay."

The Master advanced on her. His eyes twinkling. "You hear it, too, don't you?" he asked. Put a hand on her shoulder, and began to tap out a four-beat rhythm. "The drums."

Drums?

Okay — this guy was all with the crazies.

"Yes," Buffy lied.

The Master's face broke out into a delighted smile. "You know," he said, gesturing at the guards to take Seo and Buffy onboard his private helicopter, "I think we might just have a place on the Valiant for you, after all."

And so… they were dragged off.

The Master's prisoners.

* * *

Dawn awoke.

It was night. Night, in Glasgow — the city turned into a labor camp to build rockets that could tear apart the universe. Night, in the ruins of Dawn's world. Night, in a world not even Buffy—

Dawn sat up, straight. Buffy! Looked around herself.

But everyone was gone.

The Master had left. Buffy had left. Faith still lay dead on the ground. And Seo…

Dawn jumped to her feet. Raced forwards. Peering into the night sky, just able to make out a helicopter, landing on top of the Valiant. A helicopter… whose passenger list Dawn could guess.

"No!" Dawn shouted at the sky.

The sky didn't answer back.

"It was supposed to be _me_!" Dawn cried. Her hands bunching into fists. "That's what we decided! That's what was best for everyone! It was…"

The wind whipped through her hair, and Dawn crumpled down to the ground.

"What do I do, down here, Seo?!" she shouted. "What am I supposed to do, now?!"


	39. Part III: Mom

Seo's World:

Buffy's mom had to stay in the hospital for a few nights.

"I know it's unethical," Buffy pleaded with the Doctor, "and it could screw up the whole web of time and maybe even the whole universe, but… couldn't you… do something for Mom? Anything? Please?"

"I'm sorry," he told her. "I am so, so sorry. I can't."

He was right. Buffy knew he was right. He was thinking of the larger implications, the larger consequences of his interfering. He was thinking of fixed points in time and flux points in time and the arc of the whole universe.

But… this was her mom!

She started wandering through the TARDIS, trying doors at random, in the hopes that she'd find some medical center with a bunch of futuristic miracle cures all lined up along the shelves.

The Doctor caught her at it.

"What happens to your mum, in her timeline, is set," the Doctor told her. "I can't change it. You can't change it. Interfering would just put the entire world in danger."

Buffy felt herself trembling. "What… happens to her?" she asked.

The Doctor put his hands into his pockets. "I don't know," he confessed. "I can't see the future. Just know when it can't be altered."

Buffy sagged in place. Seo, in Buffy's arms, squirmed. Began to whine.

The Doctor eased Seo out of Buffy's arms, shushing her, bouncing her gently. Then turned back to Buffy. "Don't bring Seo into the TARDIS," he warned. "The Old Girl doesn't like it."

Buffy frowned. "Huh?"

The Doctor didn't answer her. Just led them out of the ship, back into the house.

But as Buffy passed through the console room, she realized… she could feel it, too. Could feel the TARDIS reacting to Seo. As if… the ship had sensed a great evil inside of the baby, something the TARDIS was afraid of.

_Made the Key a daughter. A weapon._

Buffy decided she definitely didn't want to know what that meant.

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Martha's World:

The thing that was weirdest about this, Buffy decided, was that — since she started acting totally insane and Elizabeth-like — the Master had become really nice to her.

Which… was more than a little disturbing.

At the moment, the Master was cheerfully giving Buffy a tour of the Valiant. And Buffy was desperately trying to hide the anger and disgust she felt, which was now growing to seriously exponential levels, as she continued to take in what had happened, up here.

Down on Earth, people were dying. Civilization falling to pieces. Technology being completely disassembled, cultural icons being burned to provide fire and warmth, the whole of humanity crying out for help.

Up here, the Master danced along the hallways to the beat of modern-day pop songs. He had luxurious quarters drawn up for himself and his wife. Three-course meals served to them, three times a day. Massages given, dresses and suits designed, every extravagance made.

And then… there were those little touches that Buffy noticed, revealing just how psychotic the Master really was. Special seals and vents designed to seal up any room, and gas everyone inside.

And those were just in the rooms reserved for the people the Master _liked_.

"What's happening to my daughter?" Buffy demanded, as they passed by the medical center onboard the ship. "What are you doing to her?"

"She'll be fine!" said the Master, with a dismissive wave. "I'm hardly going to kill her." Then, with a grin and a bounce in his step, he added, "Come along! I haven't even shown you the best bits!"

That was when he showed her the places the Master reserved for those he _didn't_ like.

It started with Jack. Down in the bowels of the Valiant.

Buffy had never thought she'd see Jack alive, again.

Jack's eyes went wide, as he saw her, there. "No," he said, struggling to release himself from his chains. "Please no. Not her. Not like Tosh and Owen."

"Have you met the Freak?" the Master said, to Buffy. He leaned in, and whispered, "He's a bit cranky, because I tortured and killed his friends."

It was all Buffy could do to stop herself from striking the Master down, where he stood.

But… no.

Be strategic about this, Buffy. The Master's smart. You be smarter.

Buffy gave a half-shrug, an air of complete disinterest about her. "I thought he'd be used to that, by now," she said. "Watching everyone die around him." A small smile lingered on her lips. "You know what happened to his _last_ Torchwood team?"

The Master seemed interested.

Buffy made a gesture of a gun, shooting herself through the head. "Mercy killing."

Jack stared at Buffy. "What the hell's gotten into—"

"Oh, shut up!" Buffy snapped, turning on Jack. Anger blazing. "God! Do you know how much I hate you? All that time you've been going on and on about me being your 'dear, sweet little Elizabeth', and 'I love you, I love you, I love you'!" She gagged. "Makes me want to throw up."

Jack caught her eyes with his own. Noting all the things Buffy claimed he'd said, which he very obviously hadn't. And seeming to catch on.

"So… all those times," Jack said, pretending that he was just as shocked and desperate as before, "that you told me—"

"I hate you, Jack," said Buffy. "That's the truth." She took in the entire complicated mess of Jack's chains, in an instant. Then leaned in, grabbing up two chains tethering Jack to the ceiling. Pulled, using just the right amount of pressure to loosen their hold, so Jack could tug them out when he chose. When the time was right.

She used her leverage on the chains to lean forwards enough to kiss Jack on the lips. An impartial, cold, cruel kiss.

That'd be enough to cover for what she'd actually done.

Then Buffy stepped back. Turned to the Master. "Okay, so you showed me one guy I hate. Whatever. Where's the Doctor?" She rolled up her sleeves. "Because that guy deserves a serious punching."

The Master's eyes lit up, as he bounced on his toes. "Oh, we've got one little stop-off to make, first!"

* * *

Buffy had nearly broken down completely, when she saw Giles.

She wanted to throw up.

No, actually. Scratch that. She wanted to beat the Master to a bloody pulp, blow up the whole damn Valiant, and _then_ throw up.

Giles was bloody. Beaten. Cut up. Had clearly been chained to the ground of this bleak little cell and tortured since Day Zero. Tortured… Buffy was guessing… for information about her.

Giles looked up at her, peering through pain-filled eyes.

"No," he said, very faintly. "Please, no. It can't be."

And Buffy realized… this had been Giles' doomsday scenario. Buffy, showing up as a prisoner, onboard the Valiant.

Buffy had believed in the Doctor.

Giles… had believed in her.

"How are you today, rupe-rupe-rupity-Rupert?" the Master chirruped, circling Giles. He gestured at Buffy. "Guess who I found? Your Elizabeth!"

Buffy couldn't speak.

Could barely control herself enough to keep the emotion from her face.

"You know, it really is impressive," the Master told Buffy. "He's spent the last two months undergoing torture, refusing to tell me anything about you. At all." He jumped over towards Buffy. "Even though he'd been giving me marvelous tips on how to kill you, the entire year before that!"

Giles tried to drag himself up from the ground. "If… you… harm one hair… on her head…" he warned, "I'll…"

The Master slammed down his foot onto Giles' back, and shoved him against the ground, again. "Oh, I'll take care of her, Rupert," he said, in a low, amused voice. "Don't you worry."

Buffy managed to calm herself down, enough, that she could actually speak. Could actually ignore the pain and fury and bitterness for long enough to pretend that she was just… Elizabeth. Cold, heartless, insane Elizabeth.

She gave an irritated sigh, crossing her arms. "Yeah, whatever," she said. "If you're done being all mega-show-off-central, can we _please_ skip to the part where I beat up the Doctor?"

Giles stared at Buffy. Floored.

The Master seemed extremely pleased by this turn of events. "Next stop!" he said, leading Buffy out of Giles' cell.

Buffy glanced over her shoulder, just before she left. Allowed some of the deep pain and hurt she really felt to surface to her face, as she looked back at Giles.

And mouthed the words, "I'll come back for you."

Then left.

But not before breaking the lock on the door.

Jack'd get him free. Buffy was sure of it. Her next stop… was the Doctor.

* * *

In some ways, Buffy was a lot more prepared for what she saw the Master had done to the Doctor, than with anyone else.

What the Master had done to him… was actually not so bad.

Yes, he was chained to a wheelchair, aged a hundred years, and appeared to be fed out of a dog bowl. But… compared to the conditions that Buffy had seen, back on Earth… this was luxury.

Buffy had seen people on Earth fight to the death over dog food, in the more food-deprived sections of the UK.

Faith had been right, of course. While there were signs that the Master had really been laying into the Doctor… the Master was definitely being careful about it. Taking the time and effort to make absolutely sure that he didn't go far enough to kill the Doctor, flat out.

Faith. Poor Faith.

Buffy snapped herself out of her mindset. Her eyes taking in her surroundings with lightning-quick speed, her mind racing to put everything together and form a plan.

Yes.

That would work.

Buffy's eyes fixed on the Doctor, hard, cold, determined, and angry as hell. "Doctor," she growled. She pushed past the Master, violently — but with only as much strength as a normal human would use, she made sure of that — knocking him back, a little, so he wouldn't realize…

That she'd grabbed up the set of keys she'd noticed, nestled in his pocket.

The keys, Buffy was guessing, that unlocked the handcuffs confining the Doctor to his wheelchair.

She clenched her hand into a fist, around the keys, so the Master wouldn't know they were there. Then walked right up to the Doctor, prayed he'd forgive her for this, and punched him across the jaw.

Very weakly.

But strong enough to make it look real.

"You ungrateful jerk!" Buffy screamed at him.

The Doctor stared at her, his entire expression turning shocked. Surprised. Unable to believe it.

"You murder my mother, destroy my life, tear me apart," Buffy snapped, "and then just dump me back on Earth?! What the hell is wrong with you?"

The Doctor tried to speak, but was clearly lost for words.

Buffy bent down, her hands on the arms of his wheelchair, staring right into his face. "All those places we went to," she growled. "All those things you made me do. I slaughtered the whole island of… Ibuprofen… for you."

Damn. Okay, from the look in the Doctor's eyes… Buffy had just gone major mess-up on that island's name.

She prayed the Master hadn't noticed that one.

"I hope the Master's making you suffer, every single day," Buffy continued, slipping the keys into his hands, "because that's damn well what you deserve."

They met each other's eyes, for just a moment. Buffy catching the note of caution in the Doctor's, the warning to her, warning her to please, be careful with this…

Buffy trying to give him a look of confidence and I'll-get-you-out-of-this, in return.

Then she planted the coldness back on her face. Tried to muster up her nerves to hit him a few more times, just to play the part of Elizabeth, but… damn it, she couldn't. Really couldn't. If she hit him one more time, even just weakly, she thought her heart might break.

So instead, Buffy just turned to leave the room. Stopped, a short ways away, and glanced back over her shoulder.

"And if you think that was bad," Buffy told him, pointedly, "you should wait and see what Seo's going to do to you, when she gets out of the medical lab."

The Doctor got the message. Knew that Seo was onboard. Injured.

Buffy turned. "I'm vindicated," she told the Master. Praying he'd believe it. "Now where's my daughter?"

She wasn't at all surprised when the Master gestured at two UNIT guards to accompany her back to a grim-looking cell. Wasn't at all surprised that the Master's 'hospitality' had all been a front.

That was fine.

Someone would come rescue her. She'd released enough people to make sure of that.

* * *

The Doctor had tried to hide the keys that Buffy had given him in the sleeve of his brown pinstripe suit.

But the Master seized him by the wrist, before he could.

"Uh-uh-uh!" the Master said. Held out a hand. "Return them, Doctor."

The Doctor thought of playing the idiot, but there was no point, around the Master. He handed the keys back. "You knew."

"That she's not really your 'Elizabeth'?" the Master said. He grinned. "Oh, right from the moment I arrived on Earth, last year. And even if I didn't know… that act!" The Master chuckled. "The Island of Ibuprofen indeed!"

The Doctor didn't answer.

He knew the Master's games. Knew him too well.

Knew… the best thing the Doctor could do… was to simply not react. At all.

"And as for everything else she did during her tour of the Valiant," said the Master, "what she did to the Freak and Rupert and all my systems when she thought I wasn't looking — I've long since taken care of those, too. I'm not a fool, you know."

The Doctor took this in. Then, in a soft voice, "Why's she really here?"

"Well… it _was_ supremely satisfying," the Master replied, "to watch her punch you in the face. That I wouldn't have given up for anything!" He leaned down, his eyes on the Doctor's. "And then, of course… there's the child."

The Doctor purposely held back any reaction.

"Doesn't show up on cameras," the Master continued, "undetectable by technology, invisible to the Toclafane, and filled with a power that… I can't even begin to identify. And all that… crammed under the guise of a poorly constructed Gallifreyan."

The Doctor didn't dare to even move.

"So… what is she, really, Doctor?" the Master asked him. He studied him, carefully. Analyzing his every feature. Every movement. Looking for clues. "Or… do you not really know, yourself?"

The Doctor didn't, as it happened.

Or, rather, didn't know the full story of what she was.

That, the Doctor was pretty sure, no one really knew. Not even Seo, herself.

And he certainly — _certainly_ — didn't understand why the Toclafane believed she was like them. She'd had a destructive side to her, yes, but nothing like them.

"Well," said the Master, getting up, putting his hands into his pockets, and shuffling towards the door. "Fun's over. Time to get to what I _really_ brought Elizabeth onboard the Valiant for."

The Doctor bit back a retort.

Don't react. Don't say a word. That's what he wants you to do.

"What's that?" the Master said. Hand against his ear. "Something to say, Doctor? Some little itty bitty protest, coming to mind?"

"I have only one thing to say to you," the Doctor said.

All happiness fell from the Master's face in an instant, his eyes murderous and angry. "You just had to go and ruin it, didn't you?" he snapped.

As he walked out of the room.

* * *

Giles knew the sound of those footsteps all too well, by now. The way the feet seemed to sweep across the room, bouncy and light, yet every step filled with an internal malice and threat that the Master had demonstrated to Giles far too often.

"So, Rupert," said the Master, clasping his hands behind his back. The laser screwdriver clutched between his fingers. "Here's the deal. I've got your wonderful, perfect little Elizabeth locked safely away. Unharmed. Undamaged." His eyes flicked over to Giles. "For the moment."

Giles didn't answer.

"It's up to you to decide," the Master continued, "if it stays that way." He paused, reflected. "Or if I give her a taste of what _you've_ been going through."

"Don't…" Giles gritted out, before falling into a fit of coughing.

The Master spun on his heels, a wide grin on his face. "It speaks!" he cried, with glee. Then bent down, squatting on the floor, so he could look right into Giles' eyes. "Here's the thing — I won't hurt her," he promised, "if _you_ , Rupert Giles… tell me something, in return. A little secret you've been keeping."

Giles felt a sudden horror overtake him.

"Tell me," said the Master, "who and what Seosyrae Summers really is."

A wave of conflict washed over Giles. A wave of determination and defiance, shouting that, no! No, he'd never tell! Never betray Buffy like that!

Followed by a hollow, empty, terrible feeling of… realizing… that he couldn't let this happen to Buffy. Couldn't bear to let anything happen to Buffy. Would do anything in his power to protect her.

But… this?!

"She… was… an accident," Giles tried. "Buffy and Doctor. Lack of… proper birth control."

The wave of pain that swept through Giles, from the Master's laser screwdriver, crushed all other thoughts from his mind. Reduced him to simply wanting to curl up, and plead… for an end. Any end.

"Liar, liar, pants on fire!" the Master chided. He shook his head. "You really don't have any idea where Gallifreyan babies come from, do you? Obviously, she was constructed. Engineered. Not by them, if I know either of them at all." His eyebrows raised. "And not even constructed all that well, in fact."

Giles said nothing, as the pain subsided.

"So… who made her?" said the Master. "Why? What for?" He leaned in, closer. His voice a harsh whisper. "What is she?!"

Giles looked up at the Master. His tormenter for the last two months. Met his eyes.

"She's a god," said Giles.

The Master laughed. "She's—!"

"You miserable fool," Giles spat at him. "You egotistical, small-minded madman! Do you really think you have the first concept what you're dealing with? Do you honestly believe that you could possibly understand just what's inside of her?"

The Master hesitated, just a bit.

"She was constructed," Giles said, "from the most powerful beings in the universe. Buffy. The Doctor. And… a hell goddess. One terrifying enough to inspire fear even in the Time Lords."

A wave of utter fury overtook the Master, upon hearing this. A fury even more deadly and vicious than any Giles had seen before.

"That… thing?!" the Master shouted. "That poorly constructed, impure, vulgar impersonation of what a Gallifreyan should be?!" He tried to burst out laughing, but even that seemed strained beneath utter fury.

"Seo is more powerful than you'll ever be," Giles told him, gathering up the last vestiges of strength to give his voice that much more venom. "And she doesn't need a title or show of force to prove it." His eyes blazed. "She made the Origin of All Evil tremble, simply by existing. _That's_ how powerful she is. Next to her… Mr. Saxon… you're _nothing_."

The Master flung up his laser screwdriver, and in a blaze of white light, Giles' world faded, around him.

And he drifted into complete and utter oblivion.

Giles made sure he died laughing.


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god! I'm gonna be a published author! I just got the news today, and had to accept all kinds of terms and conditions about royalties and book sales and stuff! I'll keep you guys posted with details, just in case you want to rush out and buy a copy or pester your local library to buy one. (I have to sell at least 50 copies, or they'll stop printing my book!)
> 
> It's very exciting!
> 
> Anyways. On to the chapter! I think it speaks for itself, so I'll let you read it while I go call up everyone I know to tell them the good news.
> 
> Enjoy.

Seo's World:

From Spike's point of view, things for the Summers household were going pretty much normally. There were the usual — alien invasions and demon infestations and things like that — but overall, the situation remained basically the same.

Buffy was still hooking up with the Doctor.

Spike was still left out in the cold, looking through the window.

Something was clearly going on with Buffy's mother. Buffy seemed pretty worried, around her mum — and sometimes, her mum would spend the night in the hospital and not be there at all.

But that still didn't change the fact that Buffy was failing to get nailed properly by that skinny ass Time Twerp. And still failing to notice.

Spike adjusted his leather jacket, on his way back to his mausoleum. If Buffy just let him spend one night with her — she'd _know_ what she was missing. She'd figure out that the Doctor obviously had no passion for her whatsoever, and that he, Spike, was where it was really at.

For a little while, Spike had tried shadowing the Doctor. Trying to figure out all his dirty secrets. Which worked right up until he'd wound up captured and tied up beside the Doctor, in an alien prison, on an alien space ship, orbiting the Earth.

And, subsequently, discovered that the Doctor had known Spike was there the entire time. Had told the aliens where to find him. And had already formulated a plan to escape which involved Spike's being there.

Smart ass.

The problem wasn't that the Doctor was flawless — he had too many flaws to count. Amongst other things, he was a stubborn, arrogant git, who constantly manipulated everyone and everything around him to save the world from serious danger and work to his own agenda.

No, the problem was that Buffy knew about these flaws. And didn't seem to mind.

"Doesn't know what she's missing," Spike muttered, storming into the mausoleum. "Not enough monster in her man, with Captain Cardboard. This time? Not enough man in her monster."

He sat down on the bier in the center of the mausoleum, bent over, brooding. And only then noticed that there was something moving, behind him.

No, not something. Some _one_.

Spike's face morphed, and he spun around and lunged at the intruder.

To discover… the kid. Sitting on the steps to the mausoleum. Taking it in with large, fascinated eyes, a huge smile on her face.

Spike sighed, his face morphing back to normal.

"Goldilocks Junior," he muttered. "Just my luck."

Here he was, hoping for Buffy. And he gets Buffy's little brat, instead.

"Your mum know where you are?" he asked her.

"I do, now," said Buffy, emerging from the outside, behind Seo. She grabbed up Seo, giving Spike a look that could melt steel. A look that warned him that — if he wanted to avoid floating around the atmosphere as charred flakes of dust — he should stay very far away from her daughter. Then turned back to Seo. "You," she told the child, "are supposed to be at home, asleep."

Seo beamed.

"How did you even figure out where this place was?" Buffy asked.

No answer from Seo.

Or Spike, who… had the unnerving suspicion that Seo only knew where he lived because she'd followed him here. Had seen him outside her house, and scuttled after him.

How could the kid move so bloody fast?

Buffy sighed, then turned, shaking her head as she walked away. "Too much like your daddy," she muttered. "Way too much like your daddy."

* * *

Buffy hadn't wanted to tell anyone the truth about Seo.

But Mom was about to go into surgery. And neither she nor Buffy had any idea whether they'd see each other again.

Mom was taking the time to explain to Buffy how she needed to stand up for herself, around the Doctor.

"I mean it," Mom insisted. "If I'm not around to put him in line, you have to do it, instead. I want the best for you, and you can't have that unless he learns to take some responsibility."

"Mom…" Buffy said.

She didn't want to spend what might be their last night together arguing. She wanted to spend it… together. Mom and daughter. Like they should be.

"No, Buffy, listen to me," Mom insisted. "I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did. Your father was just the same way. Flighty. Distracted. Acting like having you was my fault, like I was the only one who should be taking care of you. This isn't just your responsibility, Buffy. It's…"

"It's not really his child," Buffy whispered.

Mom stopped. Stared at Buffy. "What?"

And so Buffy told her everything. About Seo. About the memories. About the nine months of her pregnancy being a lie.

Mom looked like she could barely believe it. "Seo. She isn't…?"

"She's part me, part him," Buffy said. "But he didn't have anything to do with that. The Monks sent her to _me_ , Mom. They'd have sent her to me, even if the Doctor wasn't there." Then, beneath her breath, "If it was up to them, I think they'd rather he _wasn't_."

Mom, for a few moments, could say nothing.

"I…" Mom winced. "I yelled at him… a lot. For things he never did. Didn't I?"

Buffy cracked up. "Yes. And you made him terrified of you."

And there was nothing funnier than watching the man who'd faced down Daleks with no fear whatsoever, who'd gone against vampires and demons and all kinds of evil things, completely unarmed, and done so with nothing but an excited beam on his face — flee in terror from an oven-mitten wearing Mom.

"Terrified?" asked Mom. She gave a huff. "I am many things, but I'm not terrifying."

"Of course not," said Buffy. Patting Mom on the shoulder. "That's what makes it so funny."

Mom and the Doctor had made their peace, before the operation. Speaking in private.

Then she'd been wheeled away, into surgery. And Buffy felt a terrible weight in her chest, as she wondered if she'd ever see her mom again.

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Martha's World:

An observer of Buffy's cell would have been thoroughly bored, watching.

As Buffy waited.

Contrary to all predictions by the Master, all predictions by the Doctor, all predictions by Jack and everyone else onboard the Valiant, Buffy Summers had been thrown into a cell, chained to the far wall… and done nothing. At all. Didn't strike back. Didn't kick up a fuss. Didn't protest or try to escape or even say a word.

Just sat, in her cell. In her chains. Being good.

And waiting.

A day later, Seo was tossed inside the cell. She'd been patched up, a bit — not well, since the Master hadn't wanted her healing too quickly from her ordeal — but enough so that she wouldn't die. Buffy watched, as the guards dragged Seo to the far wall, and chained her up, beside Buffy.

Didn't say a word. Didn't move a finger. Just watched it all with patient eyes, her back against the far wall of the cell, not even trying to help her daughter.

She waited until the door was closed and relocked, before she put a chained hand on Seo's shoulder. Shushed her, gently. Soothed her with her eyes. Told her to be good.

And so… Seo waited, too.

The two of them remained just where they were, not talking or moving, continuing to be the most uninteresting, boring prisoners onboard the Valiant, never doing anything that was even remotely fun to watch. For an entire week. No escape attempts. No enraged rants. No nothing.

They just sat there. Staring straight ahead.

Even the Master got bored and stopped watching them.

Then, on the evening of the seventh night of their incarceration, just as the guards were changing shift, just as the rest of the Valiant was going to sleep, Buffy turned to Seo. Her blue eyes flashing.

"Let's do it," Buffy said.

They leapt to their feet, yanking the chains out of the wall and forcing the irons open from around their wrists. Then raced to the door, Buffy tearing it off its hinges. Seo elbowed a guard, on the left, while Buffy knocked out a guard, to the right, both of them snatching up guns and weapons from the unconscious once-UNIT soldiers.

Buffy aimed, and shot out the alarm system.

Then the cameras.

Then grabbed up Seo, and raced to another corridor. A narrow corridor. One that Buffy must have taken special note of, earlier, during her tour of the Valiant.

The guards came for them. But they had to pile through the corridor, single-file, and Buffy and Seo took them down, easily. Knocking them all backwards in a domino effect, Buffy's fighting moves managing to knock droves of them out in only a few minutes time.

The guards… stopped coming.

Buffy and Seo looked at one another.

"Did we get all…?" Seo asked.

Buffy shook her head. "He's figured out there's no point in sending more."

The bulkheads crashed down, but Buffy didn't seem worried. With a careful shot of her rifle, she hit exactly the right button in exactly the right way to seal up the gas-emitting ventilation ducts.

"Emergency override," Buffy said. She gestured at the emergency bulkhead. "Care to do the honors?"

With a shove, Seo yanked open the emergency bulkhead doors. Stormed through them, rifle in hand. Her face blazing with fury, her jaw set, her eyes searching through the darkness.

This was the section of the ship that was lavishly decorated, and Seo knew what that meant. Knew what it meant, as the halls grew more and more elaborately decorated, knew exactly whose quarters lay at the end of it.

"I'm going to kill him," Seo breathed, charging forwards.

She was caught, by the wrist. Tugged backwards. By Buffy.

"Don't," Buffy warned, staring deep into Seo's eyes.

Seo spun on Buffy, her anger flaring through her. "He killed Xander!" she hissed. "Alison! Luke! Willow! He destroyed the world! Murdered billions of people! Wiped out the Slayer Institution, murdered Faith in cold blood! We have to—"

"I said no," Buffy retorted, in a slightly louder voice. She stepped forward, her face deadly serious, and snatched away Seo's gun. "We don't kill people, Seo."

"He isn't a person!" Seo insisted. "He's an alien!"

"And so are you!" Buffy snapped.

Seo opened her mouth to reply, but… wasn't sure what to say.

"I've seen this happen, before," Buffy said, her voice lowering, a hair. "Seen this happen a thousand times. Over and over, again. There's a difference between killing monsters and killing members of your own species, Seo. And when you blur that line, when you step across it — you change. Forever. And it is very, _very_ hard to change back."

Seo didn't answer.

"It happened to Willow," said Buffy. "Happened to Faith. Happened to Luke." Her eyes narrowed. "And I am _not_ watching it happen to you. I have lost _way_ too many people, recently. You are not killing the Master, no matter what."

A slow clap echoed through the corridor, as the door nearby opened, and the Master stepped through. His face grinning, a bounce in his step.

Buffy and Seo glanced around, to discover themselves encircled by a swarm of Toclafane, looking down, evilly, upon them, reinforced by guards armed with MP5's, who'd snuck up around them, when they hadn't been looking.

One of the guards stepped in, and snatched the guns away from Buffy before she had a chance to do anything.

"Oh, bravo, bravo!" said the Master, continuing to clap. "Now, there's a speech the Doctor would be proud of." The Master's eyes lit up. "Oh, wait! Let's ask him!"

And, from the door the Master had exited, Lucy arrived, wheeling in an aged, tired-looking Doctor. Staring at Buffy and Seo, an extreme sorrow and dread inside of him.

"And, of course," the Master continued, reaching into his pocket, "no speech about how you shouldn't kill me would be quite the same without the grand finale!"

The Master yanked out the laser screwdriver, a beam shooting from its tip, crashing into Buffy, forcing a scream of utter agony from her lips.

And then… she hit the ground.

Dead.

"The moment you regret it," said the Master.

Seo stared at Buffy's body. The crumpled, charred form, lying on the ground, Buffy's eyes still open — vacant — that final look of utter horror and sheer pain still plastered across her dead face. The smell of burnt flesh filling the hallway.

Seo's eyes rested on that body. Mom. Her mommy.

Dead.

With no one to bring her back.

And everyone, nearby — the Master, the Doctor, Lucy, and every guard standing around them — could see the exact instant that something inside of Seo shattered.

"No!" Seo screamed. Turned on the Master, fists clenched, body tensing, a grief and desperation too strong for words swelling up inside of her. "No! No! No! No!"

The guards leapt on her, but she threw them off, slamming them away in waves of utter fury. Lunged for the Master, her hands reaching for his throat, her entire body shaking with absolute devastated misery.

She was felled with a single dart, blown by the Master out of a blow gun.

Seo dropped to the ground. The energy sapped out of her with a suddenness that took her by shock. She struggled to stay awake, struggled to get back to her feet so she could kill the Master for what he'd done. But the drug in the dart had been too carefully constructed, and Seo gave in.

And let unconsciousness consume her.

"A god, he said," the Master scoffed. Lowering the dart blow gun. "Some god. All that supposed 'power' — and still, not the first clue how the Gallifreyan elements of her physiology actually work." He grinned down at the blow gun, patting it fondly. The coating on the dart had been his own invention, of course. Based on his own knowledge.

The Doctor, from his spot on the wheelchair, remained silent. Just stared out at the scene in front of him, that same sad expression on his face. Not showing any other reaction, at all.

"What? Nothing?" the Master said, to the Doctor. He gestured in front of him. "Your Elizabeth lies, dead, on the floor. Your daughter is entirely in my power. And… nothing from you?! Nothing at all?!"

"I have only one thing to say to you," the Doctor replied.

The Master kicked the wheelchair over and marched off into the Valiant. He was fed up with his pet, for the night.

Maybe the Freak would be more entertaining.

* * *

Seo woke up. Imprisoned and alone.

Her body still felt weak. Drained. And any attempt made by her to call on her healing powers was just… futile. Nothing.

Her body wasn't working properly.

But that didn't matter.

Seo curled up on the floor. Buried her face in her arms. "Dead," she said. Trying to get it through her mind. "Dead. Really dead. No Willow to bring her back."

Dead… because Seo had…

Her fault. Again. Her fault.

"No," Seo said, curling up tighter into herself. "Not again! Please, please! Not again!" Tried to fight back tears, as she shivered from cold and pain and heartache. "Come back! Come back!"

But Buffy never did.


	41. Chapter 41

Seo's World:

"Okay," said Xander. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think _that_ should be in her crib."

He pointed to the dagger that was now right beside the sleeping Seo's pillow. She was curled up around her Dracula doll, sucking her thumb, looking very peaceful.

Anya came in. Took one look at Seo. And rolled her eyes. "She's not asleep."

Seo grinned, to herself, still sucking the thumb.

"So… she just… found a dagger, lying around the house, and collected it while we weren't looking?" asked Xander.

"Considering the lock on the weapons' chest is broken," said Anya, "I'm guessing she snuck out of her crib while we were… you know…"

Taking advantage of Seo's nap to share some intimate moments, together.

"She broke the lock," Anya continued, "and started digging around inside of it."

Xander frowned. "Broke the lock?"

Anya shrugged. "Buffy's strong. Seo's probably pretty strong, too."

Yeah, but… that wasn't just 'pretty strong'. That was _really_ freakin' strong. Particularly considering that Seo was a baby, only a few months old, and shouldn't be able to even lift a history textbook, yet. Let alone break a metal lock.

Xander reached into Seo's crib, and took the dagger out.

"She's probably got more weapons scattered around the house, actually," said Anya. Glancing at the room around her. "I mean, we were at it for kind of a long time. And I'm sure there were more weapons in that chest, before."

Xander gave a long, slow nod.

"Buffy's gonna kill us," he said.

"Any news on the Buffy's mom front?" Willow asked, as she and Tara helped Xander and Anya scour the house for hidden weapons.

So far, they'd found a fairly large arsenal.

"Buffy said the surgery was successful," said Xander. "Her mom should be out of the hospital and fine pretty soon." He took a mace out from behind the dresser. Stared at it. "How could Seo even lift this?"

"At least Buffy's mom's okay," said Tara.

"Yeah, but it still means we're on a deadline," said Xander. "If we don't find all these weapons before they come home, we're dead."

"And that's not even taking into account that the Doctor's probably already gotten bored waiting and wandered off," said Willow. "He could walk in here any minute."

Xander hadn't thought of that.

"We are in so much trouble, An—" Xander started.

Then realized that Anya was sitting on a chair at the far end of the room, reading a book. Not just any book. The How-To-Torture-The-Doctor book.

Everyone else looked over at Anya, too.

"Uh… Anya?" Xander said. "Do you really think you should be reading that, honey?"

Anya flipped the page, not looking up at Xander. "Buffy and the Doctor will know Seo's gotten into the weapons chest the moment they see the lock broken," she told them. "There's no point in being frantic about it. They'll find all the weapons, eventually. Might as well just read a book!"

"I think… Xander meant that you shouldn't be reading _that_ book, specifically," Willow ventured.

"Why not?" asked Anya. Eyes still never straying from the book. "It's preparation. In case anyone tries to do anything to him."

"And has nothing to do with the fact that you're still afraid he'll invade your past and uncreate you?" Xander asked.

Anya decided not to answer this.

"We should put a bunny on the cover," said Tara. "That'd keep her away from it."

Anya snapped her eyes up to Tara. "That's not funny!" she insisted. Flipped the page of the book. "Bunnies are way scarier than anything in this book. I mean, would you rather be surrounded by bunnies or…?"

She stopped. Stared.

Then looked over at Seo. Her jaw dropping open.

"I'm guessing if you asked the Doctor," said Willow, "he'd take bunnies over basically everything inside that book."

"He'd probably take Daleks over everything inside that book," Tara added.

But Anya wasn't listening anymore. Was just staring at Seo, unable to say a word.

Everyone looked at everyone else. Then back at Anya.

"Is there something…?" Xander started.

"She's not their kid," Anya whispered, pointing at Seo. She jumped up, wracking her brain. "She's… a changeling! Or maybe some demon in the shape of a kid! Or maybe…!"

"Woah, woah, calm down," said Xander, putting his arms around Anya's shoulders. "What…?"

Anya thrust the book in Xander's face.

He stared at the words on the page. Then looked over at Seo. His face morphing to mirror Anya's own shock and disbelief. "What?!"

Willow took the book from Xander. And read aloud.

"'Is it possible to breed my Time Lord so that I can increase my blood supply?'" Willow read. "'Unfortunately, no. Time Lords have been sterile since the Plague of Pythia. Legend has it that they reproduced asexually, using a process that has been lost to time. And the Time Lord that you'll be able to get your hands on is going to be one of the most sexually obtuse fellows you've ever met. If you lock him in a cage with an attractive woman, he'll be more likely to teach her the basic laws of quantum mechanics than to actually reproduce with her.'"

Willow dropped the book onto the ground.

Everyone's eyes resting on Seo.

"You guys," said Willow, "the Doctor told us Seo couldn't be his kid. He told us it was impossible. He _said_."

And they'd all thought… he'd been trying to get out of his responsibility.

But they'd been wrong.

"Even for being Buffy's baby," said Tara, "she's… really, really strong."

"And she keeps reaching for really dangerous or powerful things at the Magic Box," Anya chimed in.

"That snake monster," Willow whispered. "It was _afraid_ of her."

They all looked at one another. Then at the still-pretending-to-sleep Seo.

A shiver ran down their spines.

* * *

When Buffy got back from the hospital, the last thing she expected to see was everyone down in her living room, discussing plans on what to do in hushed voices, while Seo was tied up and restrained on the coffee table.

"What's… going on?" Buffy asked them, closing the door.

"Well, Seo's not your daughter," Anya explained, cheerfully. "So we tied her up and have been trying to figure out what kind of demon she is, so we can kill her."

"What?!" shouted Buffy. She grabbed up Seo, disentangling the ropes. "No!"

"Buffy," said Xander. "Time Lords are sterile. She isn't…"

"She was genetically engineered, instead of being naturally conceived," Buffy snapped, getting Seo completely free. "That doesn't mean she isn't mine."

Everyone looked at one another. Then back at Buffy.

"Buffy, you… gave birth to her," said Willow. "Remember?"

Buffy sighed. Then put Seo back into her crib, tucked her in, and came downstairs. Where she, with some reluctance, confessed the truth of the whole matter to them.

For a few seconds, none of them said anything.

"I guess it's a good thing we didn't kill Seo, then," said Anya.

"No, no, hold on," Xander cut in. "You mean… all those months of Boyfriendish being a complete jerk, all those terrible things he said, all those horrible things he did…"

"Never actually happened," Buffy agreed. "The Monks couldn't touch the Doctor's mind. They decided he was a problem. So they made us want to push him away."

Willow collapsed back into the couch. "Okay. Okay! Having serious guilt issues, now."

"You guys, we've been… really, really mean to him," Tara whispered. "For no reason."

"I had a good reason!" Anya chimed in.

Xander stared at Buffy. "How long have _you_ known about this?"

Buffy faltered. Bit her lip. And didn't answer.

"And you didn't think that… maybe… you should _tell_ us?" said Xander. "Just so we'd stop hating him because of things he didn't do?"

"You wouldn't have stopped—" Buffy started.

"Buffy, we don't just hate people randomly," Willow argued. "We really thought he was a serious jerk. If you'd told us the truth, we would have stopped."

"He's saved all our lives," Tara added. "And… before the whole baby thing… I liked him."

Buffy collapsed into the chair, crestfallen.

"You should have told us," Xander said.

"I couldn't," said Buffy. "Whatever this 'Key' is, it's dangerous. Dangerous enough that people have fought over it. Died over it. I didn't want you to get caught up in something—"

"Is Seo what Glory's looking for?" asked Willow.

Buffy stared down at the rug. And nodded.

Xander swore.

"Buff," he said. "The Doctor got beat up by this Glory person. She knows wherever the Key is, _he's_ got something to do with it. If he doesn't know about the Key or—"

"He figured it out back at the beginning," said Buffy. She gave a small laugh. "Knowing him, he probably knows more about it than any of the rest of us, and just doesn't want to say."

"The Doctor's people had their own name for Glory," said Willow. "She's obviously run into Time Lords before. Does _she_ know that Time Lords are sterile?"

Buffy hadn't thought of that.

"Because if she does," said Willow, "then the moment Glory notices the Doctor has a kid, she's going to know exactly who the Key is."

Buffy, in her head, cursed out the Monks that had created Seo. Those stupid idiots! Couldn't they have just given Buffy a sister, or something? Why'd they have to make it so obvious?

"I'm guessing the Doctor doesn't remember he's supposed to be sterile," said Willow. "Or he'd have put up all kinds of perception whatever things around your house by now."

Yes, Buffy figured that was probably true.

"Just make sure most of your house is toy-and-baby-free," Xander proposed. "And then put up really heavy curtains in Seo's room. And pretend you don't have a kid. That's what I'd do."

"Or pretend Seo isn't _the_ _Doctor's_ child," Tara proposed.

Everyone stared at Tara.

"I don't mean have an affair!" Tara insisted. "I just mean… you know…" she shrugged. "When you got pregnant… or whatever… it was the first time you and him slept together, right? So… just… based on the time scale… you could pretend the baby's Riley's."

Buffy's eyes lit up. "I didn't think of that."

"Fake some paternity tests," Willow agreed. "Stage some fights in public between you and Boyfriendish, about how it's not his kid."

"You guys… Seo doesn't act like Riley," Xander reminded them. "Like… _really_ doesn't. The person she acts the most like is, pretty obviously, the Doctor."

"Glory's clearly heard of the Doctor," said Buffy, "because she knows what he did during the Time War. But if the whole telling-him-he's-an-inhuman-monster thing was anything to go by, she doesn't actually know him very well. If she's going by rumor and hearsay from the demon realms, I guess we just have to start a rumor that the baby isn't his."

The door opened, and the Doctor walked in. Noticed them all gathered together, in the living room, with serious and angry expressions on their faces.

Scratched the back of his neck.

"Right, then!" he announced, turning around. "Just pop off…"

"It's okay," said Buffy. "I was just telling them about Seo. What she really is."

The Doctor stopped. Turned back to her. Quirked an eyebrow. "Were you, now?"

Buffy nodded.

The Doctor shut the door. "And… you didn't think to shut the window, first?"

Buffy snapped her head up. Stared, as she realized she'd been talking about all these super secret things… and just left the window open. Right next to them.

The Doctor, in a raised voice, asked, "Having fun listening in, out there?"

From outside the window came the sound of swearing, followed by footsteps of someone running away. Very fast.

Buffy turned to the Doctor. "Who…?"

The Doctor shrugged. "No one important," he assured her. "I'll take care of it."

* * *

Buffy talked the idea of faking Seo's paternity over with the Doctor. She was a little worried that he'd… get offended. Decide that it said something about their relationship.

He thought it was brilliant.

Was soon buzzing away at her computer with his sonic, hacking into databases and mucking about with information and all sorts.

"I'm not sure you should be this happy about it," said Buffy.

The Doctor looked up at her, scratching the back of his neck. His eyes large and wide and puppydoglike. "I thought… you wanted me to."

Buffy just laughed. Dropped into a nearby chair. It was hard to stay mad at him when he looked at her with puppydog eyes. Harder, still, when Buffy knew that all the stuff that had happened to him, since he got here, all the ways he'd been screwed around with — were ultimately her fault. Her fault for not giving him back his memories.

One stupid decision.

So many consequences.

Buffy wondered if she'd ever be able to forgive herself for it.

* * *

Riley Finn hadn't known anything was amiss until he'd come back from his latest mission in Arctic Canada. Come back and checked into the office, in DC, and found everyone making… weird comments to him.

He took Graham aside. "What's going on?"

"You don't know?" said Graham. He leaned in, whispered, "You remember that Buffy Summers you went out with, back in Sunnydale?"

How could Riley forget her?

"Well, turns out, she just had a baby," said Graham. "Few months ago. She thought it was… what's his name? Tall, skinny, helped us get rid of Adam?"

"The Doctor," Riley muttered.

"Yeah," said Graham. "Thought it was his. Turns out... it's yours. Paternity tests proved it." He clapped Riley on the back. "Congrats, Finn. You're a dad."

Riley's mouth dropped open.


	42. Chapter 42

Martha's World:

Oh, this had to be the most brilliant opportunity, ever!

Grumpy old Gandalf had been sulky and no fun for far too long. Even when the Master killed his friends — which was guaranteed to get the Doctor in a right state — still, nothing!

But now…

There was _this_.

This child. This… thing. Presented to him. On a silver platter.

Poorly designed. Poorly constructed. An idiotic nitwit who had barely the first idea how to use the physiological elements she actually had! Who was entirely unequipped to combat a true Time Lord of Gallifrey.

Oh, the Master was going to have so much fun with this! So much fun, indeed!

He'd started off by parading her in front of the Doctor, to the beats of Shaggy's _Hey Sexy Lady_ , attired in a little red suit that was the traditional slave garb of Zeridion-7. Or… at least… one special kind of slave.

The Master cracked up, as she shot him a death glare.

Cracked up, even more, as she struggled to free herself from the grips of the guards that were restraining her.

But the Master had taken care of her super-strength, already. It was simply a matter of keeping her perpetually half-poisoned, and then suspending her body's ability to drop into a state of accelerated healing.

Simple, if you knew the physiology.

"You remember that… Jo, of yours?" the Master mused to the Doctor, watching the girl attempt to free herself. He nodded at Seo. "Miss Grant looked brilliant in those clothes, when I kidnapped her from you and tried to sell her off. I still think she would have made the best slave on Zeridion!"

The Master figured the Doctor _had_ to blow his top about that one.

The Doctor had nearly throttled him with his velvet opera cape, back when the Master had actually done it to Jo in the first place.

But… nope.

Nothing.

Fine, then. The Doctor wanted to play stubborn. The Master would try for something more extreme.

He tried suspending the girl's body's ability to heal itself, entirely, then cutting her continually and rubbing salt into the wounds. But nothing from the Doctor.

He tried putting something that would almost entirely cut off her body's ability to breathe into her drinking water, and forcing the Doctor to watch.

But still! No reaction!

And just when the Master was starting to get sick and tired of this…

That was when the girl went one step too far.

The Master had been in a sour mood, already, with a series of flash-markets breaking out in Manhattan. What he really wanted to do was throw the Toclafane down on all those mob bosses who'd banded together to try to take back control.

But when the Master called… the Toclafane didn't come.

The Master spun on his heel, his anger racing through him, his eyes searching for any signs of the little buggers. Charged into the surveillance room, his eyes flicked across surveillance monitors, and then…

His eyes narrowed.

He burst into the cell in which he'd been locking up the little girly, to confront the swarm of Toclafane hovering in there. Either the Toclafane themselves had managed to break through the door, or the girly had worked out some way to get out.

But now, the Toclafane were gathered around her. And although they couldn't see her… they'd managed to make a fairly accurate guess as to where she was.

"…and then, when the Princess Marya discovers that her brother, Prince Andrei, has died at the Battle of Borodino," Seo said to the metal spheres, telling the story a little desperately and nervously, her eyes on the gun barrels all aimed at her, "she gets really upset, and—"

"We don't want to hear about that!" snapped one of the spheres, blasting a section of the wall nearby her.

Seo jumped, her eyes going that much wider.

"We want to hear about the battles!" said another one.

"The bloodshed!" shouted a third. "The slaughter!"

"But… it's… _War_ _and Peace_ ," Seo insisted. "You can't just have me tell you the parts about war without the parts about—"

Another blast from the Toclafane, still missing her but coming pretty close.

"All right!" Seo said. "I… I can skip to the assault on Moscow… or…"

She stopped, as she noticed the Master. Her voice completely failing her, in an instant.

Now, normally, the Master would find this hilarious. His children, threatening the Doctor's pathetic parody of a child, trying to force her to tell them stories of some of the bloodiest battles ever fought in Earth's history!

But, right now, the Master wanted the Toclafane to work for _him_.

And they were, very clearly, ignoring him, completely. In favor of hearing some rubbish stories written by some rubbish Russian author, about some battles that didn't really matter in the first place.

"Having fun, kids?" the Master said, a hint of real threat in his voice.

The Toclafane, noticing him, whizzed around, babbling on and on about the blood and the death and the destruction they'd just heard, and…

That was supposed to be _him_ , inspiring that kind of carnage.

_His_ job!

_His_ Toclafane!

The Master sent the Toclafane down to ravage the Earth. And then locked up the little girly, again, trying to figure out if she was actually worth the effort.

The Doctor didn't care about her.

The Toclafane were far too distracted by her.

And there was something about her that… unnerved him. Maybe it would be better, for all involved, if he freed the poorly-created half-breed from her miserable excuse of an existence.

Which was precisely what he was thinking, a day later, when he'd stunned her respiratory bypass system, and had begun repeatedly dunking her head in ice-cold water, right in front of the Doctor, waiting for him to react to his daughter slowly drowning to death in front of him.

Nothing.

Not one single bitty little thing!

"That's it!" snapped the Master. He grabbed the girly by the head, and thrust it underwater, again. Eyes firmly fixed on the Doctor. "If you don't beg me for her life — plead, with everything you have — she dies." His voice lowered into a growl. "And I can hold her head down as she passes through every single regeneration she has."

The Doctor clearly didn't believe him.

Not even as the girl began struggling, kicking and fighting to break free, unable to breathe. Not even as the panic began to subside from her limbs, the muffled shouts and the thrashing lessening, to give way to the hum of the Valiant's engines and…

Was that… shouting and the sounds of metallic swords, coming from nearby?

What was that?

"All right, I give in," the Doctor said. "Release her. Please."

The Master snapped his head around to the Doctor. Not letting the girl raise her head. Not letting her go. "Say my name."

"Master."

The Master grinned. Mused this over, as the girl's thrashing grew weaker and weaker. "Nope!" he decided. "Not good enough. Bit more pleading, bit less demanding."

"Just let her go, Master," the Doctor said. "Please. Let her go. Please."

The Master whined, hmming, and hawing. "Well… I don't know…"

"Please," the Doctor said, again. "Master. Please."

She was almost motionless in the Master's hands, now. Could she even regenerate? Or was she so poorly designed that regeneration was impossible? It would be an interesting experiment.

Just then, the door to the flight deck of the Valiant burst open, revealing five medieval knights, fully attired in medieval-imitation-style chainmail and armor, a bizarre tattoo on each of their foreheads, swords raised.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," the Master sighed, as he dropped the girly onto the floor. "Really? _Really_?!"

The knights ignored him. Their eyes sweeping past him. Then, they shouted, " _There_ is the one we seek!"

And stormed the room.

They were immediately struck down by a few short blasts from the Master's laser screwdriver, followed by the slicing and dicing from several pursuing Toclafane, and a number of bullets from the guards that had been chasing them.

"Sorry, Master, sir," said a UFCA, saluting the Master. "We don't know how they got onboard the Valiant, or what they want, but we're sorting them out."

Then they turned, and went back to get rid of the rest of the renaissance-fair geeks.

"Honestly, has the human race just stopped putting in the effort?" the Master said. Gesturing at the fallen knights, surrounding him. "This?! Really?! What on Earth is…?"

He stopped. As he noticed… the only person in the room who seemed to recognize the knights. The one who'd curled up into a ball, and tried to hide behind the gigantic water tank, as best she could, when they'd entered.

The Master studied the half-drowned girly. Curiously.

The knights… hadn't been reaching for him, when they'd advanced. No, their target, onboard the Valiant… had been someone else…

"Not interested in killing me," the Master mused, strolling over to Seo. "I wonder. Were they after… _you_?"

No answer from Seo.

A groan resounded through the room. A groan from one of the fallen knights, who wasn't quite as dead as he'd seemed. The Master leapt over to him, snatching him up.

The knight studied the Master, with disinterested eyes.

Then his eyes landed on the Doctor. And widened. He pointed a trembling finger. "It… is true, what Martha Jones has said!" he breathed. "The Doctor. He has come, to aid those who fight for the will of God! He comes in our darkest hour!"

The Master glanced over at the Doctor.

But, for once, the old man couldn't hide his reactions. He wore a look of complete and utter bewilderment, as if he hadn't the first idea what this lot could possibly be on about.

"Well, that's interesting," said the Master. He struck the knight up the side of his head, with the laser screwdriver, and the knight fell unconscious.

He rang for the Joneses.

"You," he said, pointing at Clive, "take him," pointing down at the knight, "to… oh, Rupert's room! There's a nice room! Restrain him, make sure he can't escape." He waved at Tish. "She can help."

Clive and Tish suppressed bare fury, as they complied.

The Master turned to Francine. "You," he said. Nodded back at the forgotten Seo. "Get that thing back where it belongs." He followed Clive and Tish out of the room. "I think it's time… I got some answers."

* * *

Seo was coughing. Hacking. Spluttering.

Her entire body shaking… not just from the near drowning. No. Also from the knights that had just entered the room. The knights she'd last seen in a timeline that had been edited out of the universe.

The knights she'd never wanted to see, in the real world.

"Are you all right?" her father asked her.

"I'm fine," Seo squeaked.

A nice lady Seo couldn't quite make out — with her head still spinning and her eyes lingering on the Knights of Byzantium — leaned down, and helped Seo to her feet.

"I'm fine," Seo said, without having been asked.

She took a shaky step forward. Then clung, a little tighter, to the nice woman who was helping her. Her eyes never leaving those knights.

"I'm fine," Seo said. "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine!"

She didn't know how many times she'd need to say it before she could believe… it was true.

* * *

It had taken the Master some time to get the knight to talk. Taken a lot of torture implements, a lot of coercion, a lot of terror and overpowering authority, dashed with just a touch of deep hypnosis.

"No more!" the knight said, at last. "I… I will tell all."

And the Master listened. His jaw dropping.

As he discovered the truth.


	43. Chapter 43

Seo's World:

"I'm better, now, you know," Buffy's mom told her. "You don't need to fuss over me."

"We're not fussing," Buffy argued, hand under Mom's arms, helping her out of the hospital. "We're just being all with the Mom-appreciation."

Beside her, all her friends helped Mom make her way through the hospital, carrying gifts and flowers. Seo, currently being carried by Tara, kept trying to reach over to Mom, as if trying to grab her up and hold her tight and never let her go.

The Doctor wasn't there. He'd tried. Had good intentions of being there to help Buffy's mom out, just the way he was supposed to. But then he'd gotten bored, then gotten distracted, then recalled that Buffy's mom was somewhat terrifying, and promptly raced off to do something else.

Buffy wasn't happy about it. But she figured she had to accept it. The Doctor might be brilliant, kind, amazing, and somewhat impossible, but… domestics? Nope. He wasn't good at domestics.

Which made domestic stuff… her job.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For whom even cooking Thanksgiving Dinner could wind up unleashing an ancient curse to destroy them all. Doing the domestics.

Yikes.

Mom laughed at Seo's eager reaching, and took Seo from Tara. "Hello, there," she said. "You happy to see your grandma again?"

Seo chirruped, clapping her hands.

"I think I've just made her day," said Mom.

"You've made all our days," Buffy told her.

A stretcher was raced by, with another crazy guy strapped down to it. This one… looked genuinely crazy. Completely attired in chain mail, a scabbard at his belt, and a weird tattoo on his forehead.

Mom stumbled over the stretcher, and everyone rushed to help her.

The stretcher kept being pushed forward, but the knight strapped to its surface had stopped struggling. Instead, just stared at Seo. Tears coming into his eyes.

"I found it," the knight muttered. "I found it."

* * *

The rest of the knights broke into the hospital and rescued their fallen comrade, the next day. Wheeled him away, to their secret hideout. Where they helped him rest.

"Welcome home, Orlando," said Gregor, the commander of the Knights. His metal plated armor sparkled beneath the sun. "I swear by my sword, your sacrifice will not go unavenged."

Orlando reached a trembling hand out, and touched Gregor's armor. As if trying to recall… who this was. What he was saying. What was going on.

"Shiny," Orlando whispered.

Gregor smiled, sadly, at his fallen friend. "Yes, I suppose it is."

"But no darkness," said Orlando. He frowned. "Not like the girl. Pretty, shiny girl. Shiny little Key. So shiny but so dark inside."

Gregor clutched at his friend, his eyes wide. "The Key!" he shouted. "You've found it!"

"Little girl," said Orlando. "Shines, but she is nothing. Darkness. Death for all."

"The Monks must have turned it into a person," said Dante, beside Gregor. "And sent it to the Slayer. The answer is obvious."

Gregor turned to the woods, behind him. Called out to his men, who came storming forward, on horseback, swords drawn and metal armor gleaming in the sunlight.

Gregor leapt onto his own horse, and joined them, as they galloped back into the town of Sunnydale.

"We end this," he said, into the wind. "Now."

* * *

Buffy had been fixated on nursing Mom back to health. Seo had refused to be away from Mom, the whole time. Was now resting on Buffy's knee, babbling to Mom in that adorable baby way of hers.

Buffy half expected the Doctor to show up, rambling about something extremely clever he'd done.

What she hadn't expected was for the Doctor to race into the house, grab her up while she was still holding Seo, and start shouting about knights on horseback as he pulled them outside.

"Wait, what?" Buffy cried.

The Doctor, frustrated, spun her around.

There, behind her, was a group of armed knights on horseback. Riding towards them.

"Okay, then," Buffy agreed, jumping into the car, as the Doctor buzzed it to life with his sonic.

It was… slightly reminiscent of the time, a few years ago, when the Doctor had given her a driving lesson. The car kept weaving across every lane of traffic, dodging arrows and flying swords and oncoming traffic. Several times, they skittered off the road, altogether, the car bumping around on the dirt and rocks.

"You drive like you fly the TARDIS!" Buffy shouted at him, over the racket of the arrows and hooves and rocks.

"I what?" the Doctor shouted. He tried sonicing various bits of the car to make it go faster, but it was losing speed all the time. He gritted his teeth. "Arrow must have pierced the gas tank."

"Is that bad?" asked Buffy.

"I can get around it," the Doctor replied, as the car zoomed forward, with new life.

Buffy glanced back over her shoulder, at the horseback-riding knights that they were now leaving very far behind. "Why are there medieval knights on horseback chasing us, anyways?" she asked.

"Not sure," said the Doctor. He glanced over at Seo, who was sitting in Buffy's lap. "Something to do with her."

"What to do with her?" Buffy demanded. "What's their deal?"

The Doctor gave a small smile. His eyes illuminating with curiosity. "You know — I have absolutely no idea."

Then he jerked the car off the road, and slammed his foot on the brakes. Turned to Buffy, a twinkle in his eye.

"Let's find out," he said.

Buffy wanted to hit her head on something. "You're kidding!"

But the Doctor had already jumped out of the car, hands raised in the air, walking towards the advancing knights with the calm, happy air of someone who _wasn't_ about to get skewered by thousands of arrows.

Buffy swore, and raced after him.

Why did he do things like this?!

"They look like men with answers!" the Doctor called to her. "We want answers!"

"They're going to kill us!" Buffy hissed at him, as she caught up with him.

"Naw," said the Doctor, with a shrug. "Won't kill the two of us. Probably just want to kill her." Nodding over at Seo.

That didn't help, any.

"Just stand behind me," the Doctor said, as the riders on horseback circled them. "Make sure Seo's sandwiched between us." He winked at her. "No one's dying today."

The leader of the knights on horseback dismounted. Advanced on the Doctor, sword in hand.

The Doctor didn't move, just kept his hands raised, as the leader pointed the tip of his sword against the Doctor's left heart.

"You have the Key," said the leader of the knights.

"Do I?" The Doctor dug down into his pocket, produced his TARDIS key. "Well! So I do!" He handed it over. "Here you go!"

"The child!" shouted the leader. "She is the Key!"

"And… let me guess," the Doctor said, putting away his TARDIS key. "You want to kill her."

"The Key is the link," the leader said. "The link must be severed. Such is the will of God."

"She's also a person," Buffy spat at them. "A baby! She's innocent."

The leader gave a small sigh, dropped the sword a little. "It is true," he admitted. "The Key has been transformed. Given breath. Life." He shook his head. "But it makes no difference. We must still do what we must do."

"You'd—!" Buffy shouted, but the Doctor shushed her.

Turned back to the leader.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"I am General Gregor, of the Knights of Byzantium," the leader said. "A holy order, founded to protect this world from chaos, death, and destruction."

"Well, then, General Gregor of the Knights of Byzantium!" said the Doctor, bouncing on his toes. "You seem like a perfectly reasonable sort of fellow. Not the sort to wander about the California desert in full medieval-style armor, trying to murder children."

"She is the Key," said Gregor. "Even if she's in human form. We must kill her. Sever the link. Such is the will of God."

" _Human_ form?" the Doctor asked. He gave a small smile. "Ah. DNA. Biodata. So _that's_ what he meant."

The knights dismounted, tried to pry Buffy away from the Doctor, but Buffy kicked them back.

"All right, everyone stop!" the Doctor shouted. He waited until the knights had backed down, eyeing him warily. Then continued. "General Gregor. You're after this… Key, yes? Which would be… the link between this universe and every other universe. And, if used, would cause the complete collapse of reality as we know it?"

Buffy stared at him. How the hell did he know this?

"Yes," said Gregor.

"And you believe that this… Key of yours… has been given human form," the Doctor continued. "That its essence has been woven into that baby's DNA pattern, and that, therefore, by killing her, you can eliminate all traces of the Key from the universe?"

"This is the case," said Gregor.

The Doctor grinned. "Well! You can put your swords away. Because she's not human. You kill her, and she'll just regenerate. Still the Key. Still just as dangerous as she is, now. Except… if she regenerated… Glory would be able to trace the energy. Find her. And you wouldn't want that, now, would you?"

Gregor visibly hesitated. "Lies," he decided. "The Key is the link. The link must be—"

"You should listen to him," Buffy chimed in. "The people who don't usually wind up dead with their planets yuckified."

Gregor's eyes narrowed. He drew his sword, held it against the Doctor's neck. "Demon," he accused.

The Doctor grinned at Gregor, as if he wasn't being threatened with decapitation, and waved. "No, actually, I'm the Doctor," he said. "Hello!"

Gregor stepped back. His sword falling to his side, in an instant. "You are…"

Around them, every single knight dropped their weapons, and dropped to their knees. In sudden reverence. Murmuring, "the Doctor", as if it were a holy name.

Buffy stared. Had she… just missed something?

Gregor, himself, dropped down to one knee, his sword against the ground, dropping his head. "Forgive us, messenger of God. We heard you could change your face, but we still did not know you."

The Doctor, himself, seemed mildly startled by this. "You've… run into me before, then?"

"Our order was founded on your very words," Gregor replied. "You spoke the will of God to Sir Frederick of Cornwall, and he heard your warning and took it to heart. For eight hundred years, we Knights of Byzantium have sought to eliminate the link, as you commanded."

"As _I_ …?" the Doctor said.

Buffy hit her head against the Doctor's shoulder. "What the hell did you do this time, Doctor?" she muttered.

The Doctor honestly couldn't remember.


	44. INTERLUDE:  Byzantium, 1190 AD.

Sir Frederick of Cornwall had pledged himself to fight against the heathens, take back the holy land that should be their own.

He had been noble, heroic, accompanying a group of knights that were all fighting for glory and honor. They had made it all the way to Constantinople. Crossed the Bosphorus. At which point they were ambushed by a band of heathen warriors, and their own group had gotten separated.

Frederick, now alone, set out for Acre. For the siege that the rightful King of Acre — King Guy — was waging. But the desert was like the sea, the sand dunes as shifting as the waves, and all landmarks erased from view — and Sir Frederick soon found himself lost.

He had been lost for a day and a half, when he heard a howling shriek echoing through the skies above him. He looked up — and there, flying through the few wispy clouds, was a demon. Its feathers an inky black, its tail scaled and its wings large enough to blot out the sun itself.

Frederick was of Norman blood. A noble, and a knight. He charged at the beast, sword drawn. But with one blood-red talon, it seized him from his horse and tossed him to the sands.

He tried to drag himself up, but… having been without water for nearly a day… he hadn't the strength to.

The demon stalked towards him, its face cruel and malicious, eyes flickering as if illuminated with fires.

Then… from nowhere… the sounds of pipes… no, not quite pipes. It sounded like the Italian Zampogna, which Frederick had heard earlier in his travels.

The demon shuddered back, stumbling across the sand dunes, as if in pain.

"No, Jamie!" came a female voice. "You have to hit the frequency just above that, or the resonation will not be severe enough to stun him."

The sounds of the pipes raised, a half tone, and the demon wobbled, then slumped upon the desert sands, unconscious.

"That's it!" said the female voice, in excitement.

Frederick squinted through the sunlight. Trying to make out his saviors, who could appear from nowhere and destroy such demons with only the sounds of their heavenly choir. There, just above them, he found himself face to face with an ethereal figure, a small man with scruffy-looking hair, a black jacket, and striped trousers. Holding out a hand to Frederick, with a kind smile on his face.

"Hello, there," said the man — no, not man. The messenger of God, for that was what he had to be. "Looks like you had a bit of a fall, but you should be all right."

Frederick tried to reach out to this messenger of God, but did not have the strength.

"Oh, dear," said the messenger of God. "On second thought, you're not all right at all, are you?" He turned. "Jamie, Zoe! Help me bring this man into the TARDIS!"

* * *

It was a palace befitting the angels of the Lord. Bigger inside than out, and filled with luxuries not of this earthly realm. Frederick was given water more pure than any he had drunk before, and foods of such a divine quality that he could scarcely imagine.

"There you are," the messenger of God told him, when he had fully recovered. "Now. I'm the Doctor. And these, here, are my friends, Jamie and Zoe. We had a slight problem with a lost Ixiopotor from across the Milky Way, but we've released it back into space where it belongs, so, hopefully, it won't be any more trouble to you."

Frederick could still only gape at them. Overwhelmed to be admitted into the presence of such divinity.

"Doctor," said a boy with a Scottish accent — Jamie, Frederick guessed, "d'ya really think he's fully recovered? He still looks a wee bit dazed and confused."

And that was when it struck Frederick.

The only reason this could possibly be happening.

God had seen his struggles. Had seen Frederick's good heart and noble character. And had chosen to save Frederick's life, so he might serve some higher purpose.

Frederick fell to his knees and prostrated himself before the angels of the Lord. "I am ready," he told them. "Whatever the Lord wishes me to do, I will do it. Whatever quest God requires me to undertake, I will undertake it."

For a moment, no one said anything.

"Is he quite sane?" the female voice that must be Zoe asked.

"You have given me salvation," said Frederick. "Nursed me to health in the divine splendor of your heavenly palace. I—"

"Oh dear," said the Doctor. He fidgeted, awkwardly. "I suppose the dehydration and lack of proper nutrition might make the concept of dimensional transcendentalism seem somewhat more divine and ethereal than it should be."

"And nay forget," added in Jamie, "that we did appear out of thin air to save him from some giant alien beastie. That seems a wee bit magic to me."

The Doctor helped Frederick up to his feet. "Now, no need for that," he told Frederick. "We're all quite normal, really." He gestured around him. "And this isn't a palace in heaven. Or at least," with a grin, "not unless you're attempting to flatter my very marvelous handiwork, which I have done stunningly well."

Zoe sighed.

"This is the TARDIS," the Doctor continued. "It's our home, you see."

"It travels through time and space," Zoe continued. "Jamie and I are both human. Like you! We're just from your future."

Then… the two younger ones… Jamie and Zoe… were _not_ angels. Simply humans, like himself, selected from the rest of the world to assist the messenger of the Lord, and serve a higher purpose.

"Ay, and that beastie — it's nay from the pits of Hell," Jamie continued. "It's from another planet. We fight beasties like that all the time."

Frederick looked back to the last one — the one who was not human. The one who was so clearly a messenger of the Lord.

"You… fight such monsters regularly?" he asked.

"Oh, yes," the Doctor confirmed. "Wherever and whenever we land."

Frederick felt his hands shaking, as he recalled the stories of monsters that _he_ had heard, as a boy. The stories that had been passed down through his family, which all others claimed were merely the vestiges of less enlightened peasantry tall tales intended to frighten children.

Stories of an Abomination. And a magical Key.

"If you fight evil," Frederick pleaded, "then you must help me."

* * *

They gathered around a fire, that night, roasting food and telling tales beneath the stars. Frederick had heard of many different demons these three had faced, and, despite himself, found he was growing comfortable around the Lord's holy messengers. Laughing and telling tales as if they were his own kin.

"But you said you needed our help, Frederick," the Doctor said.

Frederick nodded. "So I do."

And told them about the stories he had heard, as a child, growing up. Stories of a magical energy — the Key — which was being hunted by the Abomination of the Triumvirate, She Who Could Not Be Named. A horrible entity who struck fear into the hearts of man.

Zoe laughed. "Magic energy? She Who Cannot Be Named? This is all just idle fantasy!"

Jamie joined in Zoe's laughter. But while the two humans laughed, the true messenger of the Lord — the Doctor — remained very grave. His face serious.

Zoe and Jamie ceased laughing, as they noted the troubled look on the Doctor's face.

"Where have you heard these stories?" asked the Doctor. "Where did they originate?"

"In the countryside of Cornwall," said Frederick. "They are the tales of my homeland, yet no others believe me."

"Doctor," said Zoe. "Surely all this talk of magic and evil Abominations is simply—"

"The Abomination of the Triumvirate exists," the Doctor told Zoe. "I've heard of her, before. She comes from a higher dimension of a universe that has been severed from our own. She's a twelfth dimensional being, once part of a dictatorial and rather nasty triumvirate, who ruled a universe filled with pain and misery."

"A dimension of suffering and despair," breathed Frederick. Taking mental notes on every word this messenger of God said.

"But the Meyomelae… sorry, the Abomination," the Doctor continued, "tried to overthrow the other two, you see. There was a terrible civil war, with all sorts of nastiness and misery spanning a thousand years, and… in the end… the Abomination lost. Barely. And was exiled into our universe."

"Onto Earth?" asked Jamie.

"Oh, no," the Doctor countered. "Not at first. She ran around the whole universe, at first, making a mess of things. Kept attempting to open dimensional and universal barriers that should remain closed. But the Time L…" he cleared his throat, and corrected himself. "…a group of terribly powerful fellows, back in ancient history, put a stop to that. Imprisoned her in some sort of compression field, to try to limit her powers to three dimensions, which would be far more…"

"Ach! Doctor! Speak English!" Jamie complained.

"Yes, sorry, Jamie," said the Doctor. "They took the Abomination — who had godlike powers — and turned her into… well, a three dimensional being. Someone… like you, perhaps, Jamie."

"Then the Abomination was… the devil… the Beast… whom these powerful beings imprisoned inside… a boy?" asked Frederick. Pointing to Jamie. "Like him?"

"Not exactly," said the Doctor, "but if it helps to look at it that way, then yes."

"And now she's trapped in our universe?" Zoe asked. "On Earth?"

"Yes, I believe so," the Doctor said. "See, the only way for this Abomination to return to her home universe would be using the portals and gateways that… this same group of powerful people who imprisoned her… control. And because they are a rather… stuffy, bureaucratic lot, there is very little chance that they would ever permit her back."

"But the energy!" protested Frederick. "The Key!"

The Doctor frowned. "Yes. That is very troubling. If there is some power source more powerful than even the Eye of Harmony can control, then… perhaps…"

"I don't understand," said Zoe. "What… Key?"

"I don't know," the Doctor confessed. "But if there is some… unspeakably powerful, inter-dimensional energy source hidden out there… something that could link our universe with her own…" He shuddered at the thought. "Well, that could be catastrophic. Death for all."

"Then the Key… is the link," Frederick realized, "connecting our world to the Abomination's world of evil."

"If it exists, then… yes, I suppose it is," said the Doctor.

He seemed terribly troubled over the idea.

"Then we should find this powerful race that controls the dimensional barriers," Zoe proposed, "and let them know about the possibility of this… 'Key'."

Now the Doctor seemed thoroughly shaken. Visibly started at the proposition — real fear in his eyes.

If such a Key could inspire fear even in this man, who had fought demons without a sword and had divine powers at his fingertips — it must be monstrous indeed!

"No!" the Doctor shouted, a little too hastily. Then, with a sheepish grin, lowered his voice. "No, Zoe. I think… if this 'Key' does exist, we should be perfectly capable of taking care of it, ourselves."

"But wouldn't someone notice, if we began mucking about with some sort of inter-dimensional—?" Jamie asked.

"Ah, yes, good point, Jamie," the Doctor cut in. He wiped his brow. "Yes, better just… dispose of the energy. Destroy it. By ourselves, of course. No need to involve anyone else. Think of this as our own… private quest."

And that was when Frederick realized. That this was his purpose.

"I will do it," said Frederick. "I will find the Key. And I will destroy it, for you."

"There, see?" the Doctor agreed, hastily. "Frederick will take care of it. All by himself!" He straightened his coat, a happy smile on his face. "Yes. Yes, I'm certain. Absolutely no reason to involve _that_ lot. No reason at all."

Jamie leaned over to Zoe, and whispered, "Methinks there's something about 'that lot' he's not telling us."

The Doctor turned to Frederick. "And… just in case someone does come along, asking about this 'Key' of yours," he put in, "don't bother to drop my name. In fact, don't mention me at all. Really. I'm…" He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Listen, just… look into the matter, do what you think is best. And when I have a moment, I'll come by… and help you out, should you need it."

* * *

But the Doctor never returned.

* * *

And so Frederick went back to Constantinople. Assembled a group of knights, and began his own holy order. The Knights of Byzantium, who served the word of God.

"The Key is the link," Frederick instructed them. "The link must be severed. Such is the will of God. No matter what form, no matter how it is presented to us, the link must be severed."

"The Key is the link," the Knights of Byzantium chorused. "The link must be severed. Such is the will of God."

"We must take this upon ourselves," said Frederick. "Involve no others."

"Our quest," the knights agreed. "Our duty. Ours alone."

"Until the day the Doctor returns," said Frederick.


	45. Part IV: Gods

Martha's World:

The Master couldn't stop cracking up. Oh, this was just… absolutely…!

"No, wait, tell that bit, again!" the Master said, laughing so hard, there were tears in his eyes.

The knight had to tell the story at least three or four times before the Master was finally satisfied. Although the knight did seem bewildered, the entire time, as to why the Master found this all so hysterical.

The Doctor!

Messenger of God!

Condemning his own daughter to death just because he was afraid of getting caught by the Time Lords!

It was one of the most all-time brilliant stories the Master could imagine!

"So… you're here… to kill the girl," the Master managed to spit out, through gales of laughter.

The knight was still thoroughly taken aback by the laughter. "The girl?"

"The girl!" the Master said. "She's obviously this 'link' you keep going on about." He chuckled. "Not that you apes would have the first idea what that means."

It explained the energy emanating from her. The dimensional obscurities littering her genetic pattern. The inability to show up on scans and sensors.

Oh, it all fit!

"We came to retrieve the Messenger of God," the knight replied. "Martha Jones said the Angel of the Lord was in bondage. It was our duty to set him free."

"Except when you showed up," the Master said, stifling yet another laugh, "he didn't know anything about you, or remember you lot even existed!"

He broke down into full-scale laughter, again.

"…indeed…" muttered the knight, dejected.

Oh, of course the Doctor wouldn't know! His second incarnation? Just before his trial by the Time Lords? Just before the Time Lords had gone through his memories with a fine-toothed comb, editing out any sections they thought shouldn't be there, and then exiling him to Earth?

This 'key'… this 'link'…

The knight might not understand it. But the Master knew exactly what it was.

And why the Time Lords would be so eager to erase the memory from the Doctor's mind, completely.

"Let _me_ , your Master, tell _you_ a story, now," the Master said, leaning in towards the knight, menacingly. "See… once upon a time… there were a group of Time Lords called the dimensioneers. Who created a way to control, manipulate, and then just step across the dimensional barriers! Literally, walk between them! All you needed were…" He grinned. "…two dimensional nodes, a special chamber located in a type-40 TARDIS, and a Gallifreyan consciousness controlling them."

The knight's eyes widened.

"But the rest of the Time Lords got scared," the Master continued. "Called anything related to the dimensioneers 'forbidden knowledge'. Put the dimensioneers to death, locked up the nodes, and destroyed nearly all type-40 TARDIS' they had."

Moment the Time Lords had seen anything about dimensional nodes in the Doctor's memories, they'd have slapped a 'forbidden knowledge' label on it, and deleted it, at once.

Condemning the Doctor to never return to sort out the mess he'd begun.

"And then!" the Master continued, beaming. "And you'll like this — it's the best bit. _Then_ , a very brilliant, very powerful, god-like Time Lord realized… ah-ha! There _is_ still a type-40 TARDIS around! Broke into the Panopticon, stole the dimensional nodes and the knowledge of the dimensioneers, and set a trap for his long-time foe, the Doctor. A trap that would make said brilliant, all-powerful Time Lord rule… not just the universe… but _every_ universe! In _every_ dimension!"

"You," the knight breathed.

The Master's eyes gleamed.

"But… you must have failed," the knight said. "Else you'd have used that knowledge to aid you, now."

The Master's grin fell.

The downfall of that particular scheme, in the end, had been due to the Doctor. But he didn't want to tell this puny ape something like that.

"Doesn't matter," said the Master. "Because, if my guess is correct — and I'm betting it is — I've got a second go. A dimensional node wrapped up in a Gallifreyan consciousness, and the node manipulator room still functioning and ready to go."

Now, the Master's biggest challenge was working out how to gloat about this to the Doctor.

So many possibilities! So many things he could say! Do! Should he just waltz up to the Doctor, right now, and tell him the truth point-blank? Or force this knight to tell the entire story to the aged Doctor, so that he could hear, for himself, just what he'd allowed the Master to get a hold of?

No.

The Master had a far, far better idea.

Because if the girl was a dimensional node, and could manipulate the barriers between every dimension and universe out there… then the best way to gloat to the Doctor…

Would be to show up, on the flight deck of the Valiant, with Rose Marion Tyler.

Oh, brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!

"One," said the knight.

The Master stopped. Paused. "What?"

"You… said two were required," the knight replied. "If the girl is the Key, then you have but one."

Oh.

No.

No! This couldn't be how his plans ended! Couldn't! Every single element he needed was so beautifully sliding into place! Every single variable or challenge to his dominance already thwarted! And now…!

"I'll find a way to get around it," the Master snapped. He turned on his heels. "I'm a Time Lord. A god. This is my right, and I will take it! No matter how impossible it seems!"

* * *

It was always the same few people who brought Seo her food.

The same people who swept the floors and cleaned up after all the Master's messes. The same people whom the Master enjoyed degrading and humiliating on a regular basis.

A black family. A mother, father, and daughter, looked like. And, unlike the guards and soldiers — this family had kind eyes. Their steps might be weary, their faces might show their anger and bitterness about their situation — but every time they spoke to her, it was always soft. Gentle. Kind.

Martha's family, Seo figured.

"Hello," Seo told the daughter-looking one, who brought her food. She tried to bounce over and shake the girl's hand, but her energy was stifled by the drugs, and the guards pointing guns at her were a serious deterrent. "I'm Seo! What's your name?"

The young woman looked around, nervously, as if afraid to be heard speaking to prisoners. Then, in a low voice, "Tish."

And there was something so terribly sad and forlorn about her, something so downtrodden and miserable leaking through from her soul, that Seo knew… she _had_ to make Tish smile. Somehow.

"Last night, I had this dream," said Seo, "that it rained chocolate. And everyone on Earth realized that chocolate was brilliant, and the Master was denying it to them, so they decided to rise up against him. Using the very thing denied to them. The power of chocolate."

Tish shot Seo an odd look. But there was the hint of a smile on her lips. "Chocolate?"

"You know those really, _really_ hard chocolates, that are encrusted with those brittle little almonds and filled with caramel — only the caramel's hardened and crystallized, so you wind up biting into it and breaking a tooth?" Seo said. She glanced around herself, then leaned in, and whispered, "That's the secret weapon of the human race."

Tish shook her head, hiding a smile, as she turned, and left the cell.

Seo missed Alison.

Alison would have said something to the effect of, "So we're the Master's Oompa-Loompas, then? Creepy."

Alison…

Remembering… Alison dying, shot down in a labor camp, her face pale and filled with horror, as she realized what was happening to her.

Seo buried her face in her knees. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry. I'm—"

The door to her cell banged open. "Wakey, wakey!" came an upbeat and horrifyingly familiar voice. "Time to do what you were created to do!"

Seo looked up. Her eyes wide.

He knew.

"No," she said. Tried to struggle, as guards surrounded her, tried to fight back with everything she had — no, not everything she had, just everything she hadn't locked away — but her every move was sluggish, slow, and weak, and the guards overpowered her, easily.

"No!" she shrieked, as they manhandled her out of the room. "No! No!"

She tried, again, desperately, but to no avail.

"Oh, yes," the Master replied, striding alongside her. "See, thanks to the Knights of Byzantium, I've worked out what you are."

They entered a small room, in the bowels of the Valiant, in which lay the abandoned TARDIS.

"A dimensional node," the Master continued, opening the TARDIS door, and gesturing for them to follow him inside. "A key to unlock the dimensioneers' maze of trans-dimensional corridors. A tool to modify energy from one dimension, and apply it to another."

Seo stopped struggling and just stared, as she was dragged into the remains of the TARDIS. Stared at what the Master had done to this ship.

It… was red. Glowing. The central console torn apart, disassembled, and replaced with a wire cage and complex set of machinery.

The Master gestured around the TARDIS, a grin on his face. "Your father's ship! Do you like what I've done with the place?"

"I've seen it look like this, before," Seo whispered.

The Master's grin wavered, just a bit. Clearly not expecting this reply. "What?"

"I… just… never knew what it was supposed to do," Seo continued. She stared around herself, taking it all in. "A Paradox Machine."

The Master dismissed Seo's comments as complete lies.

"Good news is," the Master chirruped, "I might have cannibalized the TARDIS. But there was one room I couldn't bear to throw away."

He pushed open the back door, and the guards dragged Seo inside, as she resumed her struggling.

The room they entered was large, cathedral-like, with a gigantic statue in the middle — which looked abstract, almost Salvador Dali in its shapes and contours, yet glowed with a swirling energy at its base.

To one side, a chained Knight of Byzantium stood, to witness what was about to happen.

"The Node Manipulator Room!" the Master announced. He walked towards Seo, grabbing her up and dragging her across the room. "Time to put you to your intended use."

Seo, in desperation, leaned down and bit him on the wrist.

"Youch!" the Master shrieked, dropping her.

She spun around, and raced for the door, but the guards intercepted her. Dragged her back.

"You are spirited, aren't you?" the Master said, his hand around his bitten wrist. He nodded at the guards. "Put her in the machine."

"Listen," Seo pleaded, as the guards dragged her towards it. "You're making a mistake. I'm not a dimensional node, and even if I was — there's only one of me! You could—"

The Master sighed. "Oh, I know the risks better than you do, girl," he said, as the guards pushed her into the machine, and the swirling energies ensnared her, lapping her up, making her float about the node-manipulator in a sea of multi-colored power rippling across her skin. He yanked down a lever. "But I'm always up for a challenge!"

The machine activated. And Seo screamed.

Screamed as she was twisted and twirled about in the air, screamed as the energies from the machine tore and ripped at her, screamed as the entire chamber flooded with a dark red light, and the sound of a gong repeated in the background.

The Master frowned, as he analyzed the readings coming off of the control panel of the node manipulator machine. "Not right," he muttered. Hit it, along its side. "These readings aren't right at all!"

He turned on the Knight of Byzantium. "You! Ren-Fair Reject!" he snapped. "You said she… was…"

The Master trailed off. As he noticed the look of utter horror and terror on the knight's face.

The knight fell to his knees, his eyes still fixed on Seo, floating and screaming in the node manipulator machine, backlit by the lighting from the paradox machine, making an eerie glow settle across — and even through — her.

"Lord preserve me," the knight muttered. "Lord give me strength. It is _her_." He shuddered. "She Who Cannot Be Named. The Abomination. A goddess of evil."

The Master flicked his eyes between the knight, and Seo. Anger seeping through him.

"She is _not_ a goddess!" the Master shouted, throwing up his hands. "How many times do I have to say this?"

"Lord save me," the knight said. "I can see it. Inside of her. It writhes to get free. She is Death. The End of All. She… she…!"

The Master grabbed up his laser screwdriver, and in one quick burst, fried the knight to a crisp.

Suddenly, he didn't feel so much like gloating to the Doctor, anymore.

* * *

The Master tried, again and again, to make the node manipulator machine work.

Fiddled and prodded and poked. Built and rebuilt and tore apart and created from scratch. Trying to get around the fact that there was only one of her. Trying to use her to build a stable dimensional corridor.

But there was always something wrong!

Every time he checked the energy output levels on the node manipulator, every time he tried to make adjustments — nothing seemed to respond quite the way it should for a dimensional node.

An incorrectly constructed Gallifreyan.

Who was also an incorrectly constructed dimensional node!

That was just rubbish!

If the Master ever found her creators, he vowed to shove them into a meat grinder. Because this was just… just… _frustrating_!

Still.

There were some perks.

The Master had started keeping the doors to the TARDIS open, as he fiddled with Seo in the node manipulator machine. Allowing the sounds of her screams to echo across the Valiant.

The Doctor _had_ to react to that.

Just _had_ to.

"See, normally, I'd waltz in here accompanied by a musical track," the Master said, entering the flight deck, "but then, I thought, your daughter's tortured screams — they're the best music of them all." He paused, tilting his head to the side. "Beautiful, aren't they?"

The Doctor said nothing.

Just gave the Master that familiar sad stare.

"Oh, come on!" the Master shouted, his hands bunched into fists. "Your own daughter — however rubbishly made — is screaming in absolute agony, and you give me nothing? Nothing at all?!"

"I have only one thing to—" the Doctor started.

The Master punched him in the jaw to shut him up.

No. This half-breed wasn't worth the effort. Or the frustration. Or the annoyance. And certainly wasn't worth the increasing number of bizarre comments from his Toclafane!

The Master stormed down into the bowels of the Valiant. If he couldn't use Seo to torment the Doctor, couldn't use her to open dimensional barriers, couldn't use her for anything — then what good was she? Why should he bother keeping her around?!

"You bastard!"

The Master stopped in his tracks. Turned.

And realized… the comment had come from the Freak — now bitterly enraged, struggling with every ounce of strength against his bonds, desperately trying to get free.

"What the hell are you doing to her in there?!" shouted the Freak. He tried, once more, to break through his chains, and nearly managed to get the one around his right arm loose, with his efforts. "You get her out of there, right now — or you'll pay, buddy!"

The Master stared at the Freak. A little dumbstruck.

Then began to laugh. Harder and harder. Doubling up, as the Freak struggled against his bonds.

Oh, this opened up a whole sea of possibilities!

"Freak, Freak, Freak," said the Master, shaking his head, as he strolled over to the TARDIS. "You have no idea how much you're going to regret saying that."


	46. Chapter 46

Seo's World:

"And so, Frederick of Cornwall founded the Order of the Knights of Byzantium," Gregor concluded, at the end of the tale he'd just told to a very shocked Doctor and Buffy, standing out in the middle of the California desert. "An order founded on your own holy words, oh Messenger of God. An order committed to finding and destroying the Key, as you commanded."

Buffy hugged little baby Seo to her, even tighter.

"Until… the day I returned," the Doctor confirmed, scratching the back of his neck.

"And so you have," Gregor said. "Because you knew that simply killing the Key would not be enough to destroy it. That is why you arrived. To discover how to slaughter the Key so she stays dead."

"Such is the will of God!" shouted one of the other knights.

"Such is the will of God!" echoed every knight nearby.

"Right, yes," said the Doctor. "So… I… gave you this mission. A good eight hundred years ago. But, now that I've turned up, again, I can give you lot a new mission."

"The mission cannot change," Gregor assured him. "That we know. To destroy the link is the will of God, and not even God's divine messengers can counter that."

Buffy leaned into the Doctor. Whispered, "Talk about going all with the nutsy."

"Don't I know it," the Doctor muttered back. "Time for Plan B…"

Then he thrust his hands into his pockets, and stepped forward, glaring at each of the knights with an air of righteous anger and authority — a divine power judging their worth.

"Get up," the Doctor demanded.

The knights obeyed his command.

The Doctor pointed at the little baby girl in Buffy's arms. "Look at her!" he snapped at them. Then, in a voice that was nearly a shout, "Just _look at her_!"

The knights did so.

"Is _this_ what your holy order stands for?" the Doctor reprimanded them. "The slaughter of babies? The murder of innocents?"

"The Key is the link, and the link must be severed," said Gregor. "Such is the will of—"

"Thou shalt not kill!" the Doctor shouted, getting right in Gregor's face. "That's _also_ the will of God!"

Gregor opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

"I trusted you to serve the cause of goodness and righteousness," the Doctor told them all, leveling them with his most authoritative glare. He shook his head, with disappointment. "And now look at you." He gestured at the knights. "A band of fanatics, bound together simply to butcher children!" He leaned into Gregor, teeth gritted. "How does that make you any better than the Abomination?"

Gregor was a little too startled for words.

" _That_ is why I've returned," the Doctor retorted to them. "To tell you lot that you're no longer worthy of dealing with this, yourselves."

"Forgive us!" cried one of the knights, falling to his knees, his sword point in the ground. "We have strayed, and seek penance for our crimes."

"Do not smite us for our deeds!" shouted another knight, also falling to his knees.

The Doctor took this in. Stepped back, surveying the Knights of Byzantium.

"Tell you what," he said, at last. "Because I'm feeling generous. No smiting."

The knights seemed relieved.

"But any matters related to the Key," the Doctor continued, "are now permanently out of your hands. And placed…" the Doctor spun on his heels, and then gestured at Buffy, "in hers."

The knights stared at Buffy, shocked. Floored.

Buffy gave them a challenging smile.

"And as for you lot," said the Doctor, swiveling back to them. "You are going to devote your holy order to defending the lives of every last child on this planet." His voice lowered, into a growl. "And so help me, if you harm a single person, doing it, you'll feel my wrath."

The knights all stood to their feet, reciting their thanks and praise to the Messenger of God, for being merciful towards them. Then turned, and retreated, to go on with their new holy quest.

Buffy gave a small laugh, when the knights were out of sight. "That showed them."

The Doctor just shoved his hands into his pockets, body slumped in a melancholic slouch, and walked back to the car.

"What?" asked Buffy, racing after him, and getting back into the passenger side of the car, settling Seo down into her lap, trying to soothe the still-crying baby. "You look like someone's killed your pet puppy."

The Doctor climbed in, beside her, still not looking at her. Eyes fixed on the steering wheel — unblinking.

"We got rid of the Knights of Byzantium," Buffy offered, rocking Seo back and forth. "Made them change their ways and stop killing kids. That's a major Buffy-Doctor victory moment."

The Doctor didn't answer.

"This… isn't another guilt-trip, right?" Buffy asked, hesitating. "Because, I mean, it's pretty obvious past-you would never have said any of that, if you'd thought the Key was actually a—"

"Glory," the Doctor muttered, starting the car, and pulling back onto the road to Sunnydale.

"Yeah, angry demon in a red dress," Buffy confirmed.

"She's not a demon," the Doctor said. "She's a twelfth dimensional being. That's… different." He brushed a hand through his hair. "Very different."

"What's a… twelfth dimensional…?" Buffy started.

The Doctor glanced over at her. "To put it simply," he said. "Glory isn't a monster. She's… well… for all intents and purposes… she's a goddess."

A goddess.

Immortal. Powerful. Akin to the devil. And…

"Unkillable," Buffy realized.

_A daughter. A weapon. To kill what can't be killed._

Buffy looked down at the crying baby in her arms.

And, with a cold terror, understood exactly who Seo had been designed to kill.

* * *

They pulled up to the house just as the sun was setting. The Doctor still looked worried, but at least Seo had settled down and stopped crying. Now, she appeared to be mostly reaching for shiny things. Like Buffy's earrings. Seo really, really wanted to get Buffy's earrings.

Buffy was just trying to figure out what the heck to do.

If Glory… was a goddess… and Seo had been designed to kill her…

Buffy frowned, as she noticed another car parked outside her house. An unfamiliar car.

Weird.

"Mom must be having guests, or something," said Buffy, climbing out of her own car, and readjusting her grip on Seo so that the baby couldn't grab her earrings. "A dinner party?"

One look at the Doctor was enough to tell Buffy that, if Mom was having a dinner party, he was fleeing the country.

"Or… maybe just a friend," said Buffy, walking over to the front door and unlocking it. "Or a relative. Or…"

Buffy froze in the entranceway to her home. Jaw falling open.

The Doctor, just behind her, also froze. Then shuffled from foot-to-foot, scratching his head, so his hair went all stick-uppity and cute.

For there, sitting in the living room, quietly chatting with her mother, was a pleasant-looking young man, with blond hair and blue eyes, his posture relaxed but still containing an underlying military edge.

"Riley?" Buffy said.

Riley turned. Gave a soft grin. "Heya, Buffy." His eyes fell on Seo, nestled in Buffy's arms, and he got up, his eyes shining. Came over to look at her. "Is… that her?"

Buffy couldn't speak for a second.

Riley waggled a finger in Seo's face, making cooing baby sounds. "Hi, there, little girl," said Riley. "It's me. Your daddy."

Buffy looked back at the Doctor. And they both knew.

They were seriously screwed.


	47. Chapter 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm writing this on my phone, because the internet went down. So bear with me.
> 
> The Master's pretty creepy in this chapter, yeah. But it all comes from somewhere. I try to make very sure of that. I think the Master honestly finds Seo threatening. Her existence, her inability to kill him despite being a god-killer, the fact that the Doctor can have a biological kid and not him, and even her relationship with the Toclafane!
> 
> Seo has some good zingers in this one. Time Person. I love that. I don't know if anyone noticed, but she used that phrase in previous stories, and I'm pretty sure this is her thought process about it.
> 
> For Seo, who grew up in what she considered a prison, after her parents had both killed themselves to save her, I think the book "Harry Potter" must have been incredibly important. I'm sure she loved that book when she was little, and reread it frequently to give herself comfort and hope.
> 
> It's very sweet that Seo is trying to use her storytelling to the Toclafane in order to teach them about love and morals and things like that. She's not just story-telling, she's trying to teach them! Too bad it doesn't seem to be working.

Martha's World:

Well. Looks like… one day, you're chasing a good-looking guy in a blue box. Following him to the end of the universe. Finding out why you can't die and why he ran away from you.

And the next day…

"You know, I spent so long being sick of living," Jack said to the spider that was weaving a web between two pipes, nearby him. "And… now? I'm just really sick of dying."

It had been bad enough when Jack had just been cannon fodder for the Master. But, recently, it was like the Master was trying to _prove_ to Jack that his life _should_ be hell.

"You want to try living forever and see how _you_ like it?" Jack had goaded the Master, one day.

That had made the Master absolutely livid.

Which, combined with the serious god-complex, the ego-mania, and the complete paranoia about Martha's somehow finding a way to kill him, meant, in Jack's mind, that the Master's constant attempts to make Jack's life hell were basically because the Master really hated that Jack had been the immortal.

Dying over and over again was hard enough for Jack. But watching as the Master hunted down and brutally murdered his Torchwood team, in front of him…

That was the worst.

Tosh…

Owen…

He hadn't seen the Master murder Buffy, but he assumed that was only because the Master had reserved that particular assassination for the Doctor.

And then… when he'd started hearing those screams, coming from the TARDIS… when he recognized whose they were…

If Jack'd had a gun, he'd have shot the Master between the eyes. Doctor be damned.

And thus began the long, painful, horrible process of the Master trying to use Jack's attachment to Seo against him.

"Isn't that cute?" the Master said, carving symbols Jack couldn’t read across his chest with a knife. "You wuved your wittle Doctor so much, you made yourself a replacement." The Master grinned. "She _is_ pretty, isn't she?"

"You stay away from her," Jack gritted through his teeth.

"All that energy she has," mused the Master, continuing to carve, "she must be simply amazing in bed."

Jack tried to punch the Master in the face.

That earned him another death.

It was pretty clear that the Master had no idea how Jack and Seo were actually connected. Or what their relationship really was. So he just kept testing things out. Trying out different statements, to see what got a reaction from Jack.

That, combined with constantly demanding of Jack, "What is she?"

Because, for some bizarre reason, the Master was sure Jack had constructed Seo.

"I know you made her for something," the Master said. "Hid it behind a poorly constructed copy of your Gallifreyan lost-love." He finished squirting out the last of the lighter fluid from that particular canister, then reached for the next one, squirting still more over Jack. "But I can see it, Freak. Glowing green energy. All around her."

Jack sighed. "So… there's a four beat rhythm in your head that only _you_ can hear," he checked, "and a glowing green energy around Seo that only _you_ can see?" Jack gave the Master a pointed look. "I'm picking up on a pattern, here."

The Master narrowed his eyes. Then grabbed Jack up by the shirt, his voice now low and menacing. "Tell me what she is," said the Master, "or I'll stick her in the node manipulator until she turns to mush."

"She's not anything!" Jack insisted. "She's a kid. A kid you're torturing."

The Master stepped back. Struck a match. "You know, the moment I burn you to ashes," the Master mused, "you'll spend a whole day being dead. A whole day unable to answer my questions." His eyes gleamed. "I could do _anything_ to her, in that time."

Jack shuddered.

"Look, please, she's not a… dimensional… whatever you think she is," Jack said — pleaded. Don't let him touch her. Don't ever let that bastard touch her. "She's dimensionally complicated for… another reason."

The Master stepped forwards, the lit match coming ever closer to Jack. "Not good enough."

"She kills gods," Jack put in, quickly.

The Master stopped.

" _That's_ what she's built to do," Jack confessed, slumping a little. "To kill gods and higher dimensional beings." He gritted his teeth, hating himself for giving this evil man anything he could use. "Now let her go."

A sudden fury overtook the Master, as he glared at Jack. And Jack had the horrible feeling that… the Master had gotten this answer before. And hadn't liked it.

"What is wrong with you people?!" the Master shouted. "If she's a god, why can't she—"

"I never said she was a god," said Jack. "I said she was created to kill them."

The Master blew a raspberry. "Some god-killer," he said. "She's been trying to kill me since she got here, and hasn't even come close, yet."

Jack looked down at the floor, unable to stop a smirk. "Sorry, should have said," he corrected. "Designed to kill _real_ gods. Not ego-maniacs with massive god-complexes."

The Master threw the match.

And Jack burned to death.

By the time that Jack came back to life, Seo's screaming had stopped. Jack froze. Barely able to breathe.

What had happened?

Had the Master finally killed her?

Then, from a speaker that had been set up, nearby, he heard a familiar voice that made him tense with anger.

"…poor, poor little mess of a constructed thing," the Master was saying. "No one left to love you. No one left to care. Not even your own father could be bothered with you enough to put in the time and effort. So sad!"

For a few moments, there was silence.

"I hate you," came Seo's voice.

The Master chuckled at this.

"You killed my friends," said Seo, in her darkest tone of voice. "Killed Xander. You destroyed my world. You murdered…!" She swallowed, to stop her voice from shaking. "You murdered Mom."

"I know, I know!" said the Master. "I was planning to torture her, first. But after that beautiful speech about not killing me… I couldn't help myself! It was like being a kid on Christmas!" The sounds of footsteps, pacing. "You know… the Freak says you're designed to kill gods."

Seo didn't answer.

"So?" the Master said. "Is that what you are? A god-killer?" He paused, waiting. "Or do you want me to put you back into the node manipulator, again?"

"He's right," said Seo, in a small voice. "That's what I am."

The Master scoffed. "Haven't managed to kill me, yet."

"That says more about you than it does about me."

Jack grinned at this. Oh, he'd missed her. Really missed her, over these last few months.

The grin fell from Jack's mouth, as he heard the smack of hand hitting flesh that resounded over the speakers. Followed by a hiss from Seo, as she tried to hold in the pain.

That bastard was so dead!

"How do you feel about the Freak?" asked the Master. "Do you wuv him? Your brave, handsome captain? Do you fawn over him and tie ribbons in your hair and hope he'll grant you a mercy snog?"

For a few moments, there was silence.

"Well, if you don't care," said the Master, "I'll just nip down there and kill him."

An angry shout from Seo, as… Jack assumed… she tried to race out and stop the Master. But clearly ran into something, hard, as the crash echoing through the speakers, followed by a soft whimper.

"You'll want to look out for that," the Master said.

Silence from Seo.

"Ooooh, I see!" the Master said. His voice lowered to a whisper. "You don't want him to sweep you off your feet and take you on a whirlwind romance. You want him to tell you that you've been a good little girl, and have eaten all your vegetables and done all your chores!"

Seo said nothing, but whatever she did, in reaction to this, made the Master burst into gales of laughter.

"A half-breed raised by a Freak!" the Master said.

Seo didn't answer.

The Master's laughter died down. "You know," he mused, "I've got the Freak here. On the Valiant."

No answer from Seo.

"Would you like a little visit?" asked the Master. "Just to catch up? For old times' sakes?"

"No."

The bluntness with which she said it was like a punch to Jack's gut. Away for months… and here she was…

And the answer was 'No.'

Just 'No.'

"You sure?" the Master said.

"Yes."

The Master hmmmed over this, a little. Then, in a cruel, malicious whisper, "Well, I don't blame you. Him being the way he is. Disgusting, isn't it? Repulsive."

" _Jack's_ the one who doesn't want to see _me_ ," Seo said. She moved a little, the rustle of her movements echoing across the speakers. "He ran away from me."

This seemed to throw the Master for a loop. "Did he, now? And why do you think that would be?"

No answer.

"Maybe because your precious Freak cares more about his Doctor than he'll ever care about you?" the Master said.

No answer.

Then, "Yes."

Something inside of Jack crumbled. He'd heard the TARDIS… and just run. Hadn't thought about the people he left behind. Not Torchwood. Not Buffy.

Certainly not Seo.

Why had she taken it so personally?

"Pathetic," the Master sneered. The sound of his pacing started up, again. "And the Doctor has the audacity to call you the Second Dawn of Gallifrey." He scoffed. "As if anyone like you would be worthy of the splendor of my new Time Lord Empire!"

"Good," said Seo.

* * *

The Master had chanced upon it, in a phone conversation picked up by the Archangel Network about a year ago. Seo had been clever. Had wiped out nearly every snippet of data or conversation that mentioned her in any way.

But this had seeped through.

"Seo isn't actually my daughter from the future; she's a biologically engineered super-weapon combining my DNA with the Doctor's," Buffy had said, into the phone. "She's designed to destroy planets and wipe out entire species."

Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!

A weapon. A genocide machine. Able to kill anything — immortal, mortal, what have you! Everything and everyone, turned out (except the Master, himself, judging by her persistent failure in that respect).

Now _that_ was something useful! Something brilliant!

And, moreover, it explained Seo's role onboard the Valiant.

The Master called everyone onto the flight deck — save Jack, who could only hear what was happening via speakers — just to make the announcement.

"You all know how this works," said the Master, to everyone assembled. "We all have our roles to play, up here." He put a hand on his own chest. "I am the Master of all, big and small, in my dominion."

"Master," everyone assembled said — as they knew, by now, they had to.

"Lucy is the wife," he said, putting an arm around her shoulders. "The Toclafane are the kids."

The metal balls hummed with appreciation.

"Old, grumpy Doggy Doctor is the pet," the Master continued. "The Joneses are the maids. The Freak's the entertainment." He turned to the speakers. "Hello Freak!"

Down in the bowels of the Valiant, Jack glanced over at his pal spider, hanging in the corner of its nicely woven web. "Nope. I can't believe the guy, either."

Up on the flight deck, the Master held out a hand, gesturing at the struggling girl, trying, in vain, to get free. Her every movement sluggish and her breath coming far too rapidly to be healthy.

"And she," said the Master, with a wide grin, "is that bit of rubbish that you buy because you think it's a really good idea at the time, and then just shove into the cupboard and forget about."

Down in the bowels of the Valiant, Jack gave his pal spider a pointed look. "Count of three," said Jack, "I say we rush him. Take him down."

The spider, unfortunately, didn't seem all that interested.

"Your loss," said Jack.

Up on the flight deck, the Master had hopped down from his raised platform, so he could get right in Seo's face. His eyes piercing, malicious.

"See, I did a search on inter-galactic records," said the Master, "for 'super weapon' and 'biological genocide machine'… and I found all these wanted posters. Looking… specifically… for _you_."

Seo didn't answer.

"Because that's what you really are," said the Master. "A weapon. _My_ weapon. Owned by _me_." His eyes flashed, challenging. "What do you have to say to that?"

Seo thought it over. Then… leaned in. And said, "Your dad must have given you really rubbish 'don't destroy the world' lessons." She grinned. "And he should have thrown in 'don’t be a power-crazed egomaniac' lessons, while he was at it."

He smacked her for that.

Then shoved her into her new home onboard the Valiant. A containment cell that the Master had built specifically for her, which happened to look precisely like a cupboard.

With shelves and all.

Seo's little area was at the bottom, sandwiched beneath the bottom shelf, and even then, she could only sit and lie down by curling into herself.

The door was constructed from specially armored panels. The lights remained on at all times, and the Master had a way of checking in on her, from the back, through a disguised set of artificially reinforced 1-way glass, that wouldn't shatter or melt even under the force of an atomic bomb.

The Master wasn't taking any chances.

But to all appearances, it looked like a normal, ordinary cupboard, where one usually shoved old rubbish one didn't particularly care about.

That was that taken care of.

Now… the Master had just one more thing he had to do. Because… he'd been looking over the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. And found out… someone had made a few very interesting modifications.

That allowed the screwdriver to pick Seo up.

* * *

Thing was, Seo noted, that while the Master knew she was strong, he'd assumed she wasn't terribly bright. The walls and glass couldn't be punched through. But the lock was just an ordinary combination lock.

It hadn't taken Seo very long to crack it.

She raced out of her prison, determination on her face and anger in her eyes. Time to end this all. Free the world.

"We can see you!" sing-songed one of the metal spheres.

Seo froze. Spun on her heels, staring at the swarm of Toclafane now surrounding her. All of them bobbing, their little eyes trained on her, precisely.

They could see her.

How could they possibly…?

"We're coming to get you!" said the Toclafane, their blades sliding from their bodies. "Coming to cut you!"

Seo held up her hands. "Wait! Don't you want to know why I was hiding in a cupboard?" she asked. She raced over and showed them her new cell. "After all, I wouldn't have done that if it wasn't a game!"

The Toclafane mused this over.

"Mister Master says Mean Lady is being punished," said one of the spheres.

"Mister Master says Mean Lady is bad," said another.

"Mister Master says we need to keep Mean Lady where she belongs," said a third.

Seo felt her hearts thudding in her chest. "I… why do you keep calling me 'Mean Lady'? I'm not mean to you. I tell you stories. I teach you songs. I've offered you chocolate."

The Toclafane thought about this.

"Sometimes you're mean," said one of the spheres.

"Sometimes you're nice," said another.

"Sometimes," said all the Toclafane. "Sometimes. Sometimes. Sometimes."

"Well… then… why don't you just call me 'Sometimes Lady' or… 'Times Lady', or…" Seo scrambled for a name. Then, grinning, "'Time Lady'. Call me 'Time Lady'."

That'd show the Master.

He'd _hate_ that.

One of the spheres zipped up very close to Seo — close enough that one of its knives rested against her cheek, drawing a trickle of blood. She sucked in a sharp breath.

"Time Lady tell us a story?" the Toclafane asked her.

The others began to draw up, closer, blades and spikes extended, gun turrets aimed right at Seo. She scarcely allowed herself to breathe, knowing that, if she didn't give them what they wanted… now that they could see her… they'd kill her without a second thought.

"How about… a story about someone else locked in a cupboard!" Seo proposed, trying to keep her voice as cheerful and unaffected as she could. "Until the day he went to wizard school and learned to fight back against the forces of darkness."

The Toclafane seemed excited by this. They bobbed a little ways away from Seo, giving her some space to breathe.

"Well, once upon a time," Seo said, "there was a boy named Harry Potter…"

* * *

The Master had been busy playing a new game with his grumpy pet Doctor and some newly programmed settings on the laser screwdriver — which he called, "how long before doggy Doctor howls?" — when he first heard the shooting from the Toclafane.

Curious.

"I think our little object might have rolled off its spot on the shelf," said the Master, stopping with the screwdriver and leaving the Doctor gasping for breath, in his wheelchair. He strolled out of the room. "You've earned yourself a reprieve, Gandalf."

Sure enough.

Looked like the Toclafane had located Seo, tracked her down the moment she'd escaped. And were now throwing a hissy fit, blasting holes in the walls of the Valiant.

"But we want to know what happens at Hogwarts!" whined one of the spheres.

"No!" Seo told them, sternly. "Not until you tell me what the moral of this story so far is! Why the lightning bolt was important!"

Another hole was blasted in the wall, about a centimeter from Seo's head. She took in a sharp breath, arms and legs shaking.

"Harry's parents were both dead," Seo told the Toclafane, "but the lightning bolt on his head showed that they really loved him. It might have been a blemish, placed by an evil man, but ultimately, it proved his parents' love."

"Mean Time Lady!" shouted the Toclafane. "Bad Time Lady! Don't want to hear about love! Want to hear Hogwarts!"

The Toclafane shot, again, and actually managed to singe her hair. Seo stood, back plastered against the wall, eyes squeezed shut, preparing for them to kill her.

"That's enough," the Master cut in.

No point in harming her.

Not without an audience.

He stepped in, closer, as the Toclafane accepted his commands, backing away. He glanced at the Toclafane. "Now. What did you call her?"

"Sometimes Lady!" said one of the Toclafane. "Time Lady!"

"Sometimes nice!" said the others. "Sometimes mean!"

Time Lady.

Oh, he knew who'd asked them to call her that.

The Master grabbed up Seo by the arm. "You," he growled, "are _not_ a Time Lady."

Seo took a few shaky breaths. Scared. Of him — like she should be.

"You're right," said Seo, softly. "I'm American. That means, technically, I can't be a Lord or Lady. Just a Time _Person_."

The Master punched her hard enough to knock her out cold.

Then locked her back in the cupboard, where she belonged.

She'd cracked the lock — so he'd have to use something more sophisticated. A triple Zybanium coordinate combination lock, perhaps — one so complex that even the Tri-headed beings of Hingead couldn't break it. That was the easy part.

The hard part… was figuring out just how to punish her for the audacity of defiling the name of Time Lord. What would strike home the hardest.

Then the Master remembered Jack.

And knew.


	48. Chapter 48

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be prepared for serious baby-Seo cuteness, ahead! Awwww...

Seo's World:

"What? No, course not!" came the voice from the Doctor's trainers, as he shoved himself further beneath the central console of his TARDIS. "I'm fine with Riley. Completely fine. No problems."

"Which… is why you're hiding in here," Buffy said. "Refusing to come out."

"Think I've worked out what can fix her," the Doctor said, his voice sounding even more muffled, as he hoisted himself even further beneath the TARDIS console. "Inter-Axofixio Zenologribus drive needs some recalibrating. Certain of that."

How much more uncomfortable did this situation need to make him, before he actually got swallowed up by the TARDIS, completely?

Buffy leaned back against the closed double-doors of the TARDIS. "I thought you said you were cool with the whole Riley-being-the-father deception thingy." She sighed. "And Riley's being here is kind of the best thing that could have happened. For both of us. I mean, if Riley's going around, telling everyone Seo's his baby, there's a way better chance Glory will believe it."

"Absolutely!" the Doctor agreed. "Best thing."

Buffy waited a moment. Then another. Then another.

"You're still not coming out, though, huh?" she checked.

"Told you," the Doctor said. "Inter-Asfixio Beetlejuice drive needs recalibrating."

"You said it was a Zenolongbus drive, or something, before."

The Doctor said nothing for a long while.

"Vital repairs," he called back to her.

Buffy shook her head.

And left the TARDIS.

Looked like the whole Riley thing was down to her, now.

* * *

As uncomfortable as the Doctor was by the whole situation, Mom was loving it.

Mom was clearly still having trouble figuring out what, in her memories of the Doctor, was real. And what the Monks had implanted to make her hate him. And Buffy hadn't wanted to give her too much grief about it, for fear that the Monks had been the ones to trigger this tumor in the first place, and that her talking about the memories would somehow make it come back.

Even if Willow said that was impossible.

But Mom loved watching Riley and Seo together. Spoke to Riley with that soft, supportive voice. Seemed almost proud, as Riley spoke baby-talk to Seo — Riley jabbering gibberish at her, pressing on her nose and saying, "Beep!" and trying to play little baby games by tickling her feet.

"I wish you could have had a baby with someone like that," Mom mused, later that day, as she watched Riley bundling Seo up in an adorable little winter coat. "Someone responsible. Fatherly. Affectionate."

Buffy wanted to hit her head on something. Very hard.

"I mean, when does the Doctor ever do the baby-speak thing to Seo?" Mom asked, pouring herself a glass of orange juice.

"He doesn't need to do baby-speak," Buffy sighed. "He speaks actual Baby!"

"I'm just saying," Mom continued. "If you'd been with Riley, when those Monks did their spell, instead of the Doctor, we'd all have had a much easier time of it."

Buffy gritted her teeth.

Biting back a retort that, if Riley had been here, instead of the Doctor, Seo might never have been born in the first place!

"Well, who would you rather have raising your kid — from a completely objective standpoint?" Mom asked. "Someone with a job, who's responsible, who wants to help, who has money, who—?"

"With Seo?" asked Buffy. "Honestly? Her origins being what they are — I'd way rather have the Dalek-killing superhero."

Mom just raised her eyebrows at Buffy. Then sighed, and seemed to accept that Buffy wasn't backing down on this one.

Riley scooped Seo up into his arms, with a final little cry of, "Awoogawoogawoo!" in her face, and then brought her outside, to play.

As they stepped out the door, Buffy could hear a very puzzled Seo saying, "Woo… ga?"

Because when the Doctor spoke baby-talk to her, it actually meant something. As opposed to this. Which was definitely just Riley making up words.

"Maybe… you could pretend that Riley is her father for the rest of her childhood," Mom proposed. "Even after you defeat this… 'Glory'."

Buffy buried her face in her hands.

If she did that… the Doctor would probably retreat full-scale into his TARDIS, never to be seen or heard from, again. Leaving her stuck up here, with Mr. Ex Boyfriend.

Oh, this was such a disaster.

* * *

Riley had visited the Magic Box with baby Seo. Buffy had started out being with them, but in between dealing with her duties as a Slayer, the Doctor's slight melt-down, her mom's sudden idea that Riley should get some kind of custody over the kid, and the constant Glory look-out — Buffy had to split pretty fast. Then, Riley had to head off for a short time, asking the Scoobies to look after Seo, while he took a very important call from the US military.

And stepped out.

For a moment, no one in the shop could utter a word.

"You know, last year, Riley was never this stupid," Xander pointed out.

"Yeah, I mean, can't he tell?" Willow agreed. "Seo acts nothing like him."

"That… and she's got two hearts," Xander replied. "That's… kind of a giveaway."

"I think… Riley just… really wants to be a dad," Tara proposed. She stared off, into the distance, where Riley had vanished. "Enough so that he overlooks everything that proves he isn't one."

Seo squirmed. Then began kicking and fussing in her bundled up form, giving a scream.

"Oh, geeze, her face is all red," said Willow, racing over, and stripping layers off of Seo. She checked the kid's forehead. "He's bundled her up so she's at normal human temperatures."

"No wonder she's been so well-behaved and sluggish," said Tara, helping Willow strip off layers. "She's usually way more hyperactive than this."

Giles frowned, tea cup in hand. "Much as this charade with Riley might help conceal Seo from Glory," he said, "we… don't want to kill her, either."

Seo, finally free from the excess layers, had stopped screaming, and was desperately trying to crawl away from them. Tara caught her before she had the chance to crawl right off the edge of the table.

"Riley hasn't been letting her crawl around a whole lot, either, I'm guessing," said Tara, putting Seo down on the floor. "Just carrying her. We know she hates that."

The moment they set her down, she began crawling forward, babbling in her happy-baby babble, looking at everything around herself. She crawled over to Xander, and grabbed hold of the bottom of his pants, trying to pull herself up to her feet.

"Zazazazaza!" Seo said, looking up at Xander, trying to point.

Then fell backwards, losing her balance.

Seo looked around. Frowning. And crawled over to try again.

"Oh, my God!" Willow cried, dropping down to her hands and knees. "You guys! These are her first steps!"

Tara's eyes glowed, as she scurried around, trying to get a better view. "You know, her baby teeth are coming in, too," she added.

"I know!" Willow enthused. "She's becoming a whole real mini-person!"

Xander, keenly aware that he was supposed to be the immobile object in this whole thing, stood stock still, afraid to so much as breathe. As Seo used his legs to pull herself up onto her feet.

Seo, precariously balancing on two legs, took a step forward. Then another. Then let go of Xander's pants leg, and tried another. But toppled to the ground.

The Scoobies all broke into serious applause-mode.

"Someone should get Buffy!" Tara said.

"Or a video camera!" Willow added.

"I… can adjust the anti-theft security cameras," Giles offered, climbing up on a nearby chair, and trying to take it down, so he could use it as a portable real camera. Problem was, the wires kept getting in the way, and Giles was not very good with a screwdriver.

But, in the end, it didn't really matter.

Because Riley re-entered the shop.

And the moment Seo saw him, she stopped trying to walk, instead scuttling as far under the table as possible.

"Sorry about that," Riley told the Scoobies. "Army calls." Then squatted down, peering under the table. "Hey, there, little Seo. You ready to get some fresh air?"

The stray book Seo threw into his face was answer enough.

"Ow!" shouted Riley, rubbing his face. "That… ow, that…" He frowned, in confusion. "That _really_ hurt."

The next book hurt more, and Riley dodged for cover.

"Uh, I think this means Seo wants some alone-time," Xander proposed.

Riley got up, with a sigh. "Yeah. I got that one."

* * *

As far as Buffy could see, Seo was making it her personal mission to bug the hell out of Riley.

She'd pretend to be asleep in his arms, and when Riley leaned over to coo in her face, she'd suddenly spring up, screaming.

Or, when Riley cuddled her while feeding her a bottle, Seo would grab the bottle, rip the nipple off the top, and dump the contents across Riley's shirt.

Once, when he got in her face to do the baby-talk thing, Seo had poked him in the eye.

"I don't think she likes people clinging to her," Buffy told Riley.

"She's been very abandoned and forgotten, so far," Mom added, with a sigh. "Someday, when she gets older, you'll have to pay a psychologist big bucks to solve her abandonment issues."

"She does not have abandonment issues!" Buffy shouted, spinning on her Mom. "Mom, _she_ crawls away from _me._ I'm not the one who—"

"You and the Doctor are always running off to save this or that," Mom replied. "And guess who gets left behind?"

Oh, great.

So this was Mom's way of trying to show Buffy just what she was missing, by not having a normal baby in a normal way with a normal guy.

"Thanks, Mom," Buffy muttered.

"I'm just saying Riley has a point," Mom argued. "You two should take better care of Seo. At least make her wear a sweater outside."

The last time Riley had wrapped Seo in a sweater, she'd overheated, which led to hours of serious Seo-screaming-temper-tantrum type things.

Riley hadn't stuck around for _that_.

"Okay, okay!" Buffy snapped. "I get it! I'm a terrible mother, and should just stop with the parenting and get back to the vampire Slaying. But it's not like I had a choice in this, okay? I'm just doing my best!" Her eyes narrowed. "And Seo seems to like me."

"It's not you, Buffy," Mom said. " _You're_ doing fine. But if you don't get that child a better father-figure, she's going to have massive psychological issues, when she grows up."

Thanks.

Buffy figured Seo would have psychological issues when she grew up. After all. She was created as a biological weapon to kill someone.

You couldn't blame that one on the Doctor.

"Buffy," said Riley, very softly. "I know you love the Doctor. I'll respect that. But if Seo's my child… I want to do something for her. Either in terms of help raising her… or just money for childcare… or…"

Oh, that was just…!

"No!" Buffy said, stepping back. "Look, Riley, that's great and sweet and nice of you, but… if you don't want to get yourself killed, you should stay out of Seo's life."

Riley seemed confused. "What are you and the Doctor doing to—?"

Yeah. Buffy was way too finished with this conversation. Super finished with this conversation. And if she had one more person telling her she was a sucky parent…

She'd say to hell with it, and hide inside the TARDIS.

It seemed to be working fine enough for the Doctor.


	49. Chapter 49

Seo's World:

Glory, in the middle of her sumptuous apartment, lay on the divan, hearing her minions give her the news.

"What do you mean, you haven't found me my Key, yet?!" Glory shouted. She slammed a hand down, furniture cracking beneath her fist. "I am in _pain_ , here! And you guys aren't helping!"

Her minions all groveled at her feet.

"Our mistress!" the minions said. "We'd lay down our lives for you!"

Glory sat up on the divan, looking at her minions.

"The Slayer, the Time Lord, and the Key are all connected," said Glory. "Whatever the Key is, it'll be something the two of them have constant, consistent contact with. Something new, in their lives. Something special. Something different. So… watch them."

"We can do that, oh wondrous, glorious Glorificus," said the minions.

They turned, about to race off and do it.

"And be careful!" shouted Glory, after them. "The Time Lord can see it, but he's tricky. If he figures out you're watching him, we'll _never_ find it."

"Indeed, your holiness!" the minions said, scurrying off.

Glory sighed, looking at the luxury of the apartment surrounding her. Then kicked the nonsense-speaking postman she'd brain-sucked a few minutes ago, so he fell onto the floor.

"And the rest of you… clean up this mess!" Glory shouted at the remaining minions. She collapsed back onto the divan. "God, I _hate_ this reality!"

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Martha's world:

"What do you mean, you haven't found Martha Jones, yet?!" the Master shouted at the latest underling — or minion, as he liked to think of them — who'd come in to report the news. "I thought you had her cornered!"

"She… escaped," his minion replied.

The Master rounded on the minion. His laser screwdriver pointing at him, menacingly. "Then you get out there," the Master said. "And you find her. NOW!"

The minion scurried off to do the Master's bidding.

The Master sighed. "And I thought this was going to be such a perfect day," he muttered, heading off to pursue his latest scheme.

* * *

Seo had been bound. Gagged.

The poisons pumped into her cupboard, over the past little bit, had been stronger than usual, and her stomach was turning. She'd have been sick, if the Master had given her any food, today. Which he hadn't.

If he was weakening her this much… whatever punishment he had in store would be terrible.

But she could deal with it.

She'd overcome the drowning, the knives, the node manipulator. If she'd done that, she could overcome any physical pain he put her through.

Mom and Jack would be proud of her.

Mom…

She was dragged to the lowest section of the Valiant, to discover swarms of Toclafane, all waiting to witness what was about to happen. The Master, smiling ear-to-ear, stood by a hot furnace. And… just behind him…

The breath caught in Seo's throat.

Jack.

And the expression on Jack's face… was so angry… so hateful…

"Before we start," the Master announced, "I'd just like to say that nobody can stop what's about to happen. Except…" the Master spun on his heels, and pointed at Jack, "…for him."

Seo felt her hearts race.

"If you think this is wrong, just tell me to stop," the Master informed Jack, "and I'll stop. But if you think she deserves this — then remain silent."

Jack's face grew that much angrier.

He must have worked out that everything with Bilis Manger was her fault. Must blame her. That made sense. She blamed herself. Was that why he ran away, after all? Not because of her father, but because he couldn't forgive her for Abaddon?

Couldn't forgive her for something she'd do… in her own future?

"But I don't even know what I'm going to do, yet!" she tried to tell Jack. But the gag made the speech unintelligible.

She was roughly turned by the guards, forced to kneel down on the ground, her chest thudding forward against a small pedestal, her hair yanked back to tilt up her head, so that her eyes were fixed on the Master.

"As long as that's understood by everyone here," said the Master.

Then he pulled something out of the furnace.

"See, the thing is — you're _not_ a Time Lady," the Master told Seo. "You're an object. And I want to make sure everyone here," with a pointed glance at the Toclafane, "is very clear… that you're _my_ object."

Seo's eyes widened, fixing on the metal poker he'd drawn out. Except… it wasn't a metal poker. There was a letter on the bottom, glowing red hot from the furnace. The letter "P."

Seo struggled. Clawed. Tried to break free. But this was why the Master had given her so many poisons, earlier. So she couldn't fight back.

Her body was supposed to absorb these kinds of poisons, easily! What was wrong with her? What had he done to her?!

The Master walked over to Seo, brand in hand. Stopped, just before he reached her. Looked over at Jack.

"Any protests?" the Master asked him.

No response from Jack.

Just that angry, bitter hatred in his eyes.

"In that case," said the Master, raising the brand up to her forehead.

She didn't scream.

Although it took every ounce of sheer determined willpower, every scrap of self-control to stop herself, as it happened. But she wouldn't give the sadistic maniac who killed Mom the pleasure of hearing her scream.

Mom…

Why? Why? Buffy had to come back. Mom always came back. Why wasn't she coming back?!

The Master leaned down. "Oh, that stings, doesn't it?" he said. Voice cold. Cruel. "So much pain… and your Captain thinks you deserve it." He mused it over. "Why is that?"

Seo's eyes dropped to the ground.

She couldn't look at Jack.

"Is it because he knows you could have stopped this?" the Master continued. "If you'd been a _real_ Time Lady? That you could have stopped me, stopped his team from leaving Cardiff, saved the day and made everything right, again?"

Seo hadn't even thought of that.

Hadn't even thought that… everyone from Jack's team, who died… everyone the Master tortured… _that_ was all her fault, too. Jack had thought of it. Why hadn't she?

Maybe she was just selfish.

The Master got up, put the first brand back into the furnace. "Or is it that you couldn't save your mum?" he said. "Couldn't stop what happened to your father?"

Seo shuddered.

Mom…

"What do you say, Freak?" said the Master, a grin on his face, as he reached for the next brand. This one an "O". "Should I stop at one? Is this wrong? Abhorrent? Is this _not_ what she deserves?"

No answer from Jack.

"Well, then!" the Master chirruped, bouncing back to Seo, and raising up the brand. "Daddy-Freak knows best!"

And seared the next letter onto her forehead.

She tried to block it out. Tried to put up mental shields, numbing her pain receptors in that area of her body.

But it burned through her, anyways. The agony smoldering across her, the pain charring at her skin. When the Master was done with that letter, her tongue bled from biting it so hard, to stop herself from screaming.

She _hadn't_ screamed.

But couldn't stop tears from forming, in her eyes.

"Aw," said the Master, giving a theatrical pout. "Little baby's cwying." He put a gloved hand up to her cheek, and rubbed away an escaped tear. "It hurts to find out just how much your Daddy-Freak hates you, huh?"

She shut her eyes. But couldn't stop the tears.

"After all," the Master continued, his voice filled with mock-sympathy, "anyone can run away from a Freak. But it takes a real failure to make a Freak run away from her."

The tears came, harder.

The Master removed his hand. Jumped back to his feet. "What do you say, Captain? Should I stop now? Anything? Any protest at all?"

No answer from Jack.

Seo could practically feel Jack's hateful glare burning through her.

"I agree!" said the Master, lunging for the last brand. "P.O.M. Property of the Master."

He advanced on Seo, who was shaking. Trembling. Unable to stop herself from openly sobbing.

"Now, don't be like that," the Master reassured her. "Daddy-Freak might hate you, but ultimately, you know he's right. This is what you deserve."

She didn't stop herself from screaming, this time, when the brand came down on her forehead.

She couldn't see the point.

The Master stepped back, admiring his handiwork. As Seo's hair was released, she couldn't stop herself from continuing to scream and sob, any barrier of self restraint swirling into that mire of pain and misery and searing flesh and the poisons crawling through her body.

"And the moral of the story, kids!" the Master chirruped, to the Toclafane. He pointed at Seo. "Sometimes, when an evil man puts a scar on your forehead, it's really just a symbol of how much your parents _hate_ you."

The Toclafane all chanted their agreement to this.

"Off you go, then!" said the Master, brushing the Toclafane away. "Master's busy!"

They all swarmed into a group, and flew off.

The Master advanced on Seo. "And you," he growled, " _never_ call yourself a Time Lady. Again." He gestured at the guards. "Take her away."

Seo barely noticed, though. Didn't notice the guards dragging her back to her cupboard. Didn't notice how the Master sneered at her. Barely noticed the tears or the pain or the smell of charred flesh.

All she could notice… was Jack.

So angry, he was literally shaking with rage and hatred every time he looked at her.

"I'm sorry," she tried to tell him. Muffled through the gag.

But she knew — if he really hated her that much — she'd never be sorry enough.

* * *

The moment Seo was far enough away that the Master's threat couldn't possibly apply, anymore, Jack leveled his most murderous gaze at the Master.

"You're a heartless bastard," Jack spat.

The Master bounced delightedly on his toes, grinning as if this had been the most fun game, ever.

"Managed to keep your mouth shut, Freak?" said the Master. "Shame. I was so looking forward to killing... well, at least Francine."

And Tish.

And Clive.

And everyone in the Paris Labor Camp.

And then proceeding to do something extremely unpleasant to the Doctor, which the Master hadn't gone into detail about.

All that. Just to make sure that Jack shut up during one of the most sadistic, maniacal acts of barbarism he'd ever witnessed!

All that, just so Seo would think Jack hated her.

"What have you been drugging her with?" Jack demanded, struggling with the chains.

Because Jack knew Seo should have seen right through this. Picked up on the Master's game, right from the beginning. But she'd been stumbling and staggering even as she entered this place, eyes unfocused and limbs sluggish.

Jack guessed her mind was just as drugged up as her body.

"If she'd been a real Time Lady," the Master replied, icily, "she'd have been able to metabolize it."

Jack really wished he had an ounce of Buffy's super-strength. So he could break free and kill that bastard.

The Master waved at the nearby camera. "Having fun listening in, up there, Doctor?"

No response.

"Just remember — _you're_ the one who took the Freak away," the Master called out to the Doctor. "Which means everything that's happened here, today — any abandonment issues she might have — ultimately, they're _your_ fault. One more thing that _you_ caused."

The Master's face turned that much smugger. Just wallowing in his triumph.

"Well, that was fun!" he said, clapping as he headed back up the steps. "Now. To get back to work ruling the world! And, of course, to find Martha Jones."


	50. Chapter 50

Seo's World:

Riley knew that, if Seo really was his daughter, it didn't matter how much she fussed and complained and broke down crying. He had to do his part to take care of her.

He'd always wanted to be a dad.

And if the Doctor was anywhere near as bad a parent as Joyce seemed to think he was (and, since Buffy was seriously panicked about Seo's safety, Riley was guessing he was), maybe Riley would be good for Seo. Could be the father-figure she really needed.

That was exactly what he was thinking, out in the park with baby Seo, when she bit him.

_Hard_.

Riley jumped, accidentally dropping her to the ground. She'd only just gotten her baby teeth in, but… there was blood on his wrist, where she'd bitten. A _lot_ of blood.

How could she be that strong?

He raced over to the nearest woman — a woman in a red dress, with short brown hair and a mousy-looking expression — asked for a kleenex. And then applied pressure to the wound, and went back for baby Seo.

And stopped.

Because Seo had vanished.

* * *

"You dropped my baby?!" Buffy shouted. "And lost her?!"

She tore through the park, desperately trying to find her daughter. And failing.

"She bit me!" Riley protested.

"I can't believe this," Buffy said, ducking down to look under one of the benches. "How is it that _I'm_ the irresponsible one, when you drop a six month old baby and don't even check to make sure she's okay?"

Riley looked a little sheepish about that. "She… bit me really hard," he tried to insist.

"She's six months old!" Buffy snapped, looking inside a trash can, just in case Seo had gotten herself stuck in there.

Riley opened his mouth to defend himself, but… thought better of it.

Buffy glanced at the sky. The sun was setting. Great! So Seo was lost, outside, somewhere, in Hellmouth City, right as all the demons and vampires were about to come out.

Seo. Who had a combination of Slayer blood and Time Lord blood.

Talk about _major_ bad.

For all that the Doctor might rush off to save the world instead of doing the baby-talk and sweaters thing, he _never_ left Seo in vampire central when the sun went down. _Ever_.

"Look, I was just asking a very nice woman in a red dress for a tissue," said Riley. "I wasn't running a mile away and then coming back or anything."

Buffy froze.

Woman… in a red dress…

"And I know Seo was fine, after she fell," said Riley. "We checked the spot. No blood or anything. She just kind of raced off, and—"

Buffy jumped to her feet, and pushed past Riley. Running, as fast as she possibly could, back home. Her entire body shaking from utter terror, as she realized what this must… _had to…_ mean.

Riley tried to run after her.

But screw Riley.

If Glory was around, Riley could go to hell, for all Buffy cared.

She needed the Doctor.

* * *

Buffy unlocked the TARDIS, then burst in through the doors. Said one word.

"Glory."

The Doctor emerged from the central console. Dropped everything.

And raced after Buffy.

* * *

Spike stretched, as he got up for the night, inside his crypt. Yep. One more bloody night with a chip in his head, unable to act on his vampiric urges. One more bloody night where Buffy ignored him and the Doctor was smug and arrogant. One more bloody night of spying…

Spike froze.

Realizing… he wasn't alone.

There was a soft sound of baby babbling, coming from the corner of his crypt. Baby babbling, cut through by cheerful baby laughter.

Spike turned, and discovered… Goldilocks Junior. Sitting in the corner of his crypt, playing with two dolls he'd noticed some days before and hadn't managed to work out how they'd gotten there.

Looks like he'd found his explanation.

How often had she been coming here and playing while he'd been asleep?

"All right, playtime's over," said Spike, bending down to snatch away the toys. Toy vampires. Insulting. "Time to go—"

"Sike!" said Seo, beaming at him.

Spike dropped the toys onto the ground, and staggered backwards. Her first word. Her first word, and it was…

Oh, that was _not fair_!

"You take that back!" Spike snapped at her.

Seo laughed, delighted, clapping her hands. "Sike!" she said. "Sike! Sike! Sike!"

"That name is bloody terrifying!" Spike informed her. "Braver people than you have fainted at the—"

"Sike!" Seo said, again, her eyes twinkling.

Spike sagged. Gave in. There was no coming back from this one.

"A name that once struck terror into the hearts of all," Spike muttered, reaching for a cigarette. "Women screamed at it. Men fled from it." He lit the end of the cigarette, took a drag. "What am I now? A Time Tot's ruddy first word!"

Seo, with some difficulty, managed to climb to her feet, and toddled over to him, unsteady but beaming.

Showing off. Like Spike was a bloody parent.

"You really are desperate for approval, aren't you?" said Spike, taking another drag on the cigarette. He looked the kid over. If Buffy ever found out about the brat's attachment to him, Spike figured he'd be dust in about two seconds.

Seo just beamed wider, eyes sparkling, her wisps of blond hair shimmering beneath the candlelight.

Spike sighed, stubbed out his cigarette on the bier. "Let's get you home, kid."

* * *

"What do you mean, check in with Spike?" Buffy demanded of the Doctor, as they raced towards the cemetery. "What does Spike have to do with this?"

"Seo has this… well… homing instinct," the Doctor said. "Typical instinct in Gallifreyan babies. Moment she gets scared or worried or threatened, she'll zip off someplace she feels safe." He rounded a corner. "And since she wasn't at the Magic Box…"

"She'd go home," said Buffy.

"Oh, yes!" the Doctor confirmed. "Which is exactly why we need to find Spike. If anything happened outside your house — he'd know bout it."

"What?!" Buffy said.

"That Doctor's insane," Riley muttered, struggling to keep up. "There's no way a six month old baby would be able to find her way—"

"Another Gallifreyan instinct!" the Doctor called back, continuing to race forwards. "If you've been someplace once, you'll always know how to get back."

"What?" Riley said, clearly lost. "But she's not a—"

"Riley," Buffy snapped. "Shut up."

He'd officially lost all rights to dish out parenting advice the moment he dropped her baby on the ground, didn't check to see if she was okay, and then ran off and let her get picked up by a Hell Goddess.

The moment they entered the cemetery, Buffy spotted Spike. Who was carrying something, carefully, cautiously checking around himself as he went.

Spike froze. Catching sight of Buffy, Riley, and the Doctor.

"Oh, bugger," said Spike.

Which was right around the time Buffy realized that the bundle he was carrying, in his hands… was a little baby girl.

Buffy's anger surged inside of her.

"Look, this isn't what it—!" Spike began.

But Buffy was on him in an instant, Riley helping her hold him down. Buffy grabbed a stake out of her back pocket, and…

The Doctor yanked the stake out of her hand, with ease. Then chucked it over his shoulder. Came over. And retrieved Seo from Spike.

"There you go," said the Doctor, with a grin. "Safe and sound with Spike. What did I say?"

Spike glared at the Doctor, getting back to his feet. "Why is every bloody person saying I'm safe?!" he shouted. He threw up his hands in the air. His face morphed into his vampiric visage. "I'm a cold-blooded killing machine! The terror of the—"

"Sike!" said Seo, with an excited beam. "Sike! Sike!"

Spike's face morphed back. "And you can bloody shut up about that, too," he snapped at her.

Buffy was about to die. Her daughter's favorite doll was Dracula, and now, her first word was Spike.

What was it with Seo and psychopaths who nearly killed her parents?!

"Look, if you two can't keep an eye on her, fine by me," said Spike. "Just get your brat to stop dropping by and using my crypt as a Time Tot playpen. All right? Because the second I get this chip out of my head, I'm going to drain her dry and throw away the carcass."

"The chip that only activates around humans," the Doctor double-checked. "Which excludes her."

Spike shuffled. "Yeah, well… didn't feel hungry, this time."

"Okay, okay, stop it!" Buffy shouted, charging into the middle of this whole thing. She turned to the Doctor. "You said… after that Riley thing… her instincts would be to go somewhere safe and comfortable. Which would be—"

"All right! Next person who calls me 'safe' is going to get it in the neck, chip or no!" Spike shouted.

"—our home," Buffy continued, ignoring Spike. "And you said if we wanted to know what happened around our house, we should ask Spike. So why do you think Spike knows… anything… about…?"

Buffy trailed off. As the Doctor raised an eyebrow at her, and all the puzzle pieces fell into place.

"Oh, no," Buffy said. Eyes fixed on Spike. "No. No, no, no, no. Tell me you haven't been peeping on me. Tell me you haven't been…!"

"Yeah, well your Boyfriendish was fine with it," Spike retorted.

"What?!" shouted Buffy, turning on the Doctor.

"You've been peeping at her?" Riley shouted, storming up to Spike and punching him in the face. "How dare you…?!"

"Oi!" the Doctor shouted, separating Spike and Riley. "Let's not start killing each other, here! We're all on the same side."

"He is not on our side!" Riley snapped, pointing at Spike. "He's a cold-blooded killer, who's been standing around peeping in at Buffy like some perverted—"

"How long have you known about this?" Buffy demanded of the Doctor, cutting Riley off. "No, actually, forget that. I'm just going to assume you've always known about it. Why've you been letting him keep doing it?"

"Strategy," the Doctor replied. "Extra set of eyes and ears. Extra line of defense."

"Extra line of—?!" Spike's eyes narrowed, as they landed on the Doctor. "You manipulative git."

"Extra line of defense against…?" Buffy stopped. Stared. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

The Doctor grinned at her. "Our house is the first place she'd look."

"We don't need an extra line of defense, Doctor," Buffy said. "We're both superheroes. We can—"

"Sorry, was there something about the phrase 'twelfth dimensional being' that you didn't understand?" the Doctor asked her.

Riley pushed past the Doctor. "Woah, woah, hang on!" he said. He turned on the Doctor. "You. Doctor. Have been trusting the safety of my baby. To… that?!" He pointed at Spike.

" _Your_ baby?" Spike said.

"She's _my_ baby girl, Doctor," Riley snapped. "And I don't know why you're so sure that she has some… homing instinct… or can navigate perfectly after being somewhere once… but if she knows where Spike lives, that means one thing to me. _You_ 've been purposely putting her in danger, by entrusting her to this… peeping-tom psychopath, who—"

"You some kind of idiot or something?" said Spike.

"Riley, stop," said Buffy, trying to calm him down. "It's not the Doctor's fault. Seo really did just find her way here. The Doctor would never do anything like—"

"Oh, so Spike's been kidnapping her, then?" Riley shouted. "Is that why you're so paranoid about her safety? Because the Doctor's just been letting Spike kidnap my baby girl, like—"

"Here," said Spike, grabbing Riley's hand and thrusting it down on Seo's chest. "Satisfied? Two hearts. Not your baby."

Riley froze.

For a few moments, no one said anything, as Riley just took it all in.

Spike stepped away. "Bad enough being loved by a Time Tot," he muttered. "But no one — and I mean _no one_ — is gonna accuse me of protecting Captain Cardboard's brat. End of story."

"But… but I thought…" Riley began. He looked between Buffy and the Doctor, his face falling into utter betrayal. "You said…"

Buffy sighed. "Riley," she said, her voice very low, "I'm sorry. It just seemed… the best thing to do."

"A Time Lord's body is a miracle," the Doctor explained. "Even a baby one. There are whole empires out there who'd rip this world apart for just one cell." He placed a hand, protectively, against Seo's back. "We thought it would be safer for everyone if we pretended she was human."

Riley couldn't say a word.

"I'm really sorry," Buffy said, again. "We never thought you'd show up and actually… you know."

Riley pulled his hand away from Seo. "I… thought I was a dad," he said. "A real dad. And all this time, you've been… tricking me… lying to me…"

Buffy bit her lower lip, and looked away.

Riley turned to the Doctor. "Was this your idea?"

"It was mine," Buffy said.

Riley looked between them, once again. His entire face turning into melancholy.

"Yeah, well, you keep her bloody toys out of my crypt," snapped Spike, tossing the toys at Buffy and the Doctor. Buffy lunged to catch them up, before they hit the ground. "And if she sets foot in there one more time, I'll kill her, you hear?" He lit up a cigarette, then turned and left. "Vampires don't protect Time Lords. It's the rule."

Riley stumbled back, a little. Finally managing to pick his jaw up off the floor.

"Look, I… better…" He gestured vaguely in the distance. "The army, and everything."

The Doctor muttered something beneath his breath about guns.

Seo kept struggling to get free from the Doctor's grip, reaching out to the toys in Buffy's hands, babbling at a thousand non-words a minute.

Buffy just held the toys. Not really sure what to do or say.

"Riley, really," Buffy tried. "I'm sorr—"

"Good catching up with you, Buffy," said Riley, an edge to his voice. "Let's _not_ do it again."

Then he turned, and walked off into the night.

* * *

Nearby, unbeknownst to any gathered in the cemetery, two of Glory's minions snuck away. Having overheard everything.

* * *

"We seriously screwed up the whole Riley thing," Buffy told the Doctor, later that evening. "Like, major screwed up."

The Doctor didn't answer. He was trying to keep the smirk off his face.

"We should have just told him the truth right away, you know?" Buffy said. "That way, maybe he would have…" Buffy trailed off, as she noticed the Doctor trying not to laugh. "What?"

"'Captain Cardboard'," the Doctor muttered. "Brilliant, that one."

Oh, and Buffy didn't even want to get into the whole Spike peeping-tom thing, right now!

"Yeah, well, you figure out some other cover story for your having a kid!" snapped Buffy, getting up off the couch. "Me? I'm going on Patrol."

* * *

"Oh, wondrous, glittering, glistening Glorificus," said the minion Jinx, prostrating himself before her. "We believe we've found information to identify the Key."

Glory stopped with the wine-tasting, her eyes snapping down to her minions. "You've found it?" She jumped to her feet, excited. "Where? What is it? What—?"

"Well, not found it, exactly, your holy splendiferousness," said Jinx. "But we believe it is some item in the Slayer and Time Lord's daughter's possession."

Glory stared at them. Her face turning from happiness to bitter anger. "Daughter."

"The child is the common link between them, oh sacred Glorificus," said Murk. "We have not seen her, but certainly one of the items in her possession could be—"

"She's not the common link between them," snapped Glory, grabbing up Murk by the ear. "She's got nothing to do with the Time Lord. She's the Slayer's, you idiots. You think Time Lords just… have babies?!"

"But the baby is definitely the Time Lord's, oh sacred, holy, beautiful thou," Jinx said. "We heard them confess it, not an hour ago."

"Are you total morons?" Glory shouted. "Time Lords are sterile! There is no… possible… way…"

Glory stopped. Dropped Murk onto the ground, her face falling into shock.

Then she began to laugh.


	51. Chapter 51

Martha's World:

"I can't!" Tish whispered to Jack. She glanced around herself, scared that someone might notice. "Jack, he'll kill me."

"Please," Jack begged her. "It's important. Just… please. Please."

Tish had never heard him quite this desperate before. But she wasn't as brave as her sister, Martha. She knew the Master would kill her if she did this.

"I just need to know she's all right," Jack said. "Just a sign. Anything. At all! I just…"

Needed her to know that he didn't hate her. That he _did_ want to protect her. That he'd give up his own life to save hers. Over and over again. Any time.

But the Master would never let her know that.

"I'll… try," Tish promised. Then turned, and hurried off.

* * *

The next time someone had to bring food to Seo's cupboard, Tish quietly took the initiative to do it, herself.

She'd passed by the cupboard, many times, whilst in the middle of doing other chores. From what Tish could hear, the girl wasn't doing all right. Not all right at all. Tish would hear crying — desperate, passionate sobbing — and always another name she was mourning, another person that had been snatched away from her.

And two, above all others.

"Mom."

And "Jack."

When Tish came by, today, she dropped the food off in the little hatch that had been constructed into the door. Then paused, nearby. Whispering.

"You all right, in there?"

For a few seconds, silence.

Then, from inside, an excited voice, saying, "You're Tish! I remember you!"

It was exuberantly happy. Desperately happy. The kind of happy that you only got when you were clinging to anything rather than soul-crushing despair.

"Jack said you—" Tish began.

"I'm all right," Seo assured her. "I'm used to being alone. It gives me a chance to close my eyes and pretend I'm somewhere else. Like in a story! I make up lots of stories."

Tish swallowed, hard.

"Jack told me what the Master… did to you," she said.

For a few long seconds, there was complete silence.

"I just wanted to make sure—" Tish started, again.

"I said I'm fine," Seo snapped. " _Fine_!"

And something about the way she said it made Tish understand… just how not all right Seo really was.

"Who were you before this, Tish?" Seo asked, her voice suddenly audibly desperate. "Can you tell me? What you used to do before the world fell apart? What your life was like?"

So Tish… not knowing what else to do… told her.

About university. About her family life. About her career choice in PR, and the parties she hosted. And… just telling it felt so… odd, after this long. Just remembering how it felt not to be humiliated and degraded, day after day. Remembering a life where she was happy.

It felt like forever ago.

"Funny thing is, I always liked baking," Tish continued. "Back when I didn't have to do it for anyone else. When it wasn't required to survive the Master's wrath." Giving a small laugh. "It made me feel better. Stress reliever. Cupcakes. Brownies. Crepes."

Seo said nothing for a long moment.

Then, through the door, she whispered, "Can you remember something, for me?"

"Yes," said Tish. "But what—?"

"The lock only works from the outside," Seo continued to whisper, her voice even quieter. "And I can't reach. But I've worked it out. It's 27, 89, 650, 5122, 9. Then twist three times anti-clockwise and two and a half the other way and press buttons two, three, nine, zed, alpha squared."

Tish repeated it to herself, over and over again, committing it to memory.

"Midnight," Seo said. "Please. Promise me."

"Promise," said Tish.

* * *

Tish knew about the branding. Had heard the effects of it in Jack's utter desperation, and through the cracks in Seo's voice. But Tish hadn't seen Seo, since.

She did, now.

It was horrible to see those dark, branded letters, the blistered skin and blotchy redness, clearly visible on her forehead. Felt painful just to look at.

How was Seo managing to deal with it?

But Seo bounced out of the cupboard, a grin plastered across her face, and swept Tish into a frantic hug. Then, pulling free, glanced around. And dragged Tish off.

"Are we… going to kill the Master?" Tish asked.

Seo hesitated. Pausing. A spark of utter hatred in her eyes.

Then shook her head.

"I don't want him to matter, anymore," Seo said, stubbornly.

So they went to the Valiant's kitchens.

And baked cupcakes.

"One for everyone onboard," Seo said, as they worked, "who's been good and kind and never done something evil like destroying the world and mass-murdering innocent people."

"Or helped the Master do it," Tish added.

Thing is… even though Tish had been baking and cooking for the Master for months, now, and had never believed she'd ever be able to derive any enjoyment from it, ever again — baking cupcakes on the Valiant, with Seo, for the people she liked…

It felt normal.

Refreshing. Wonderful.

Like she could pretend she was back in her old life, baking cupcakes for her mates, who were coming over to gossip later that day.

And as they watched the cupcakes turn golden-brown in the oven, a sadness fell across Seo. "I wish… we could make one for Martha," she whispered.

Tish stared at her. "You know Martha?"

"She was my first friend," said Seo. "She helped me save my family."

And Tish realized… why Seo had been trying so hard. Why she was going through all of this, just trying to get Tish to feel a little like she had, before the Master had taken over.

"Jack doesn't—" Tish started.

But Seo cut in, sharply, with something completely different. And refused to discuss Jack, at all.

They decorated the cupcakes. Made them bright and cheery and beautiful. A little burst of happiness in this desolate, cruel place.

Using little sprinkles and icing to write names across the top.

"So the Master doesn't steal them," Seo explained, as she iced the last one. "These are for _good_ people, who _deserve_ a cupcake."

Tish frowned. Seo was icing in Tish's name. But one name was certainly missing. "You… didn't make one for yourself," Tish pointed out.

Seo hesitated. A hint of inner fear creeping onto her face. Then she looked up at Tish, and beamed, trying to chase the fear away. "I don't really like cupcakes, anyways."

Tish opened her mouth to speak, but… wasn't really sure what to say.

"And it's not about that!" said Seo, stepping back and admiring their work. "It's… just… about… creating something." Her eyes went unfocused, her jaw trembling, a little, as she spoke. "In a world of death and destruction… we created something. Something beautiful, that made people smile." She gave herself a little grin. "Gave one person one spark of happiness."

The sound of a throat clearing behind them made both Tish and Seo freeze, in place. Then turn, very slowly, to see the shape looming over them.

The Master.

"You know," said the Master, "I _was_ going to wait until you stopped the charade and unveiled your real plans. But…" The Master looked down at the cupcakes, "I'm starting to think you two are actually just baking cupcakes."

Seo grabbed up the tray of cupcakes, and thrust them behind her back. "You can't have one."

"Is this the offspring of the Mighty Doctor?" the Master asked, twirling his laser screwdriver menacingly in his hands. "The child fabled to have the powers of a goddess? The genocide machine sought out across the cosmos?"

Seo met his eyes with her own. Trying to look brave.

"You can take away our freedom," Seo said. "Our friends. Our families. Our world." Her eyes narrowed. "But you can't take away our cupcakes!"

The Master sighed. "In case you hadn't noticed, I'm your Master," he told her. "It doesn't matter what you _say_ I can or can't have. If I want something—"

"You can't have one," Seo cut in. "Because you're not worth it."

For a few seconds, there was silence.

The Master froze. A look of utter and complete fury sweeping across him, in an instant.

He flew over to Seo, grabbing her up by the shoulders. "Did _he_ tell you to say that?" the Master snapped. "The Doctor? Oh, that is just like him. What did he tell you about that incident? What did he say?!"

Seo didn't answer. Just met the Master's eyes with her own.

The Master shoved Seo away from him. Then gestured at the guards, who apprehended Seo and Tish, dragging them off.

"And I'll take these," said the Master, snatching up the cupcakes. He surveyed them, a smile touching his lips. "Definitely."

* * *

The next day, the Master, grinning ear-to-ear, danced onto the flight deck of the Valiant, a tray of cupcakes in hand. Passing them out to all the people whose names had been inscribed in frosting.

"Oh, and… Francine! One for you!" said the Master, with a laugh. He reached down, again, picked up another. "And… Clive! Your lucky day!"

Then the Master turned to the Doctor, and left one right in front of his tent. "And who could forget old gramps?"

The Doctor crawled out of the tent. Looked at the little cupcake.

"Courtesy of Tish and your little brat," the Master beamed. "Bon appétit!"

The Doctor picked up the cupcake, studying it, carefully.

From across the room, Francine and Clive knew better than to trust anything the Master gave them.

"You poisoned it, didn't you?" the Doctor asked the Master.

The Master sighed. "You know me too well."

Well, it had been what the Master had done on the third moon of Vrandoris, the marshes of Xiloctripus, and Regra-2 — although, in the case of the last one, the confection in question had been sentient, and the Master had just murdered the lot of them.

"I don't know about this… 'daughter' of yours," said the Master. "Breaks out of an impenetrable prison, and what does she do? Kill me? Free you? Help the human race? No!" He thrust out the tray. "Cupcakes!"

The Doctor looked over at Francine and Clive.

Who were now looking down at their own cupcakes a little more fondly. Knowing… just what effort had gone into making them. What risk had been involved.

Knowing… despite the humiliation and servitude, despite the Master's degradation of them…

Someone out there thought the best thing she could do with her freedom was to make them just a little bit happier.

Show them they were worth being made happy.

One cupcake.

"And you think someone like that is worthy of carrying on the legacy of Gallifrey?" the Master continued. "My children — my beloved Toclafane — slaughter worlds. Wipe out civilization and art and culture, bring untold devastation to the populace! While your little Cupcake toddles around, baking her treats for a worthless group of imbecilic…"

The Doctor didn't eat the cupcake.

But he put it aside. So he could look at it. During all those hours of painstakingly integrating himself with the Archangel Network. Look at it… and remember why he was doing this.

What he was fighting for.

* * *

Jack had no idea what the Master had done to the cupcake.

But he was guessing it'd make him die horribly. And then come back even more horribly. Hours — if not days — of excruciating, miserable agony for him.

Yeah. Like he was falling for that one.

But then he heard who'd made them. And Jack had the suspicion that Seo actually _had_ baked them, herself, if only because the Master just wouldn't shut up about it.

"—completely useless girl," the Master said. "I mean, _cupcakes_? Really?! At her age, I led a full-scale revolt of the Shoboguns. The Doctor sealed up the rift at the Medusa Cascade. And _she_ bakes _cupcakes_!"

"She didn't make you one, huh?" said Jack, with a smirk.

And… yep.

Looked like that was pissing the Master off a lot more than he wanted to let on.

"Is this the weapon that can bring down gods?" the Master continued. "The girl with the supposed powers of the Meyomelae Krvas? The girl I'm supposed to fear? This… Cupcake of yours?"

"I bet she didn't think you were worth a cupcake," Jack pointed out.

Oh, yeah. _That_ got him.

Then the Master's seething subsided, a hair. As the Master shot Jack a cold, malicious smile. "Guess who _else_ she didn't think deserved a cupcake?" he asked. "Someone her Daddy-Freak proved deserved only a brutal branding."

All traces of cheer fell away from Jack, in an instant. Replaced by guilt. Anger. Hatred. Sorrow. Despair.

Jack looked at the cupcake. Knew the Master had done something to it. He knew that, whatever was in that cupcake, now, would make him die in the most excruciating agony. Cause him worlds of pain.

But Seo had made it for him.

And… he… loved her.

Jack grinned at the Master. Picked up the cupcake, himself. And ate it, deliberately. Voluntarily.

"Delicious," he said.

As he died.


	52. Chapter 52

Seo's World:

Buffy had gone out.

And so had Joyce, a bit later. Much to the Doctor's relief.

Now the Doctor was pacing the living room, beside the playing Seo, trying to work out what he was going to do to keep Glory away.

"Some sort of… powerful perception filter," he proposed, hand racing through his hair. Then shook his head. "Naw, higher dimensional. Would see through it in an…"

The Doctor stopped.

The Dagon's Sphere he'd wired up to the device on the coffee table was blinking.

"Oh, no," he muttered.

Glory might not have made an appearance, earlier, but she was definitely making one, now.

The Doctor scooped Seo into his arms, trying to soothe her as she fussed and complained and thrashed to be free. Shushing her, as he made his way, quickly and quietly, down into the basement.

"Sh, sh, you'll be all right," the Doctor told her, unlocking the TARDIS doors. "But we've got to be quiet. Got that? Like mice! Remember mice? With cheese and all that. And those nibbly little pineapple bits — ooh, they're brilliant."

He slipped inside. Locked the doors behind him.

Old Girl might not react well to Seo, but… well… TARDIS was still the best backup plan he had. Least he knew Seo'd be safe, hidden in here.

* * *

Glory burst into the house. Her eyes peeled. Her ears perking up for any movement or life.

Hmmm. No 'movement'. But definitely life.

"A TARDIS," Glory recognized, forcing her way down to the basement, eyes falling on the blue box. "A real TARDIS. Oh, that takes me back."

And she was betting this Time Lord, just like all the others, would have done one thing when he heard she was coming. One stupid, insane little thing.

He'd have taken refuge in his ship.

Him. And the Key.

"Open up, Time Lord," Glory said, her hand resting against the panel of the door. "Give me my Key, and I might let you and that Slayer of yours survive this."

No answer.

Glory gave an exasperated sigh, then grabbed at the door handles, and ripped the TARDIS doors open, the ship giving an agonized shriek at the violation.

Inside the ship stood one very shocked Time Lord.

"But… but how did you…?" the Doctor spluttered, staring at the busted doors.

"Didn't call me the Meyomelae Krvas for nothing, Time Jerk," said Glory. Her eyes scanned the room, then snapped back to the Doctor. She lunged for him, grabbing him up by the tie and hoisting him into midair. "Now. Your daughter. My Key. Where is she?"

* * *

The Doctor hadn't expected Glory to be able to break into the TARDIS.

But that wasn't what was puzzling him the most.

No, what puzzled him the most was that Glory kept searching, frantically, around the console room, looking for Seo.

And Seo was standing not two feet away.

In plain sight.

What was more, Seo, herself, had gone stock-still the moment Glory entered the ship. Not issuing a sound or moving a muscle. As if, by instinct, not daring to draw attention to herself.

"Fine," said Glory. "You don't wanna talk?" She gave an evil grin. "Well, there's one thing I remember about Time Wusses. They're always afraid for themselves." She hurled the Doctor into the central console of the TARDIS. "And they're always afraid for their ships."

The Doctor crashed right through the central console, sparks flying through the air as circuits and switches and buttons flew across the room, coral shooting past him.

Seo's eyes went wide with terror.

But she still stayed completely still. Completely silent.

"And in case you had any ideas about hiding my Key away in those infinite corridors," Glory continued, yanking the conceptual geometer out of the shattered control console, and smashing it underfoot. Her eyes gleamed, as she grabbed the Doctor up, again. "So. Where is she?"

The Doctor said nothing.

"Oh, come on, she's going to toddle in here, any minute, now that this room's the only thing left of your TARDIS," said Glory. "Gallifreyan instinct in babies. I know!"

"Unless she isn't in the corridors," the Doctor muttered.

"Then where is she?" Glory demanded.

The Doctor still said nothing.

Glory's cool completely vanished, as she threw the Doctor through the time rotor, the whole thing shattering around him as he tumbled through it.

"You selfish, stuck up bastard!" Glory shouted, shaking with fury, nearly in tears. "Stealing my stuff and trying to make it yours? You sick, perverted little freak!" She charged towards the central console, yanking and tearing and smashing. "Let's see how you like it when people screw with _your_ stuff!"

The TARDIS began to scream.

The Doctor staggered to his feet, rushing Glory, trying to pull her away. But she shrugged him off, slamming him into the tortured remains of his TARDIS.

"I'll bet this is fun for you," said Glory, grabbing him and jerking him into the middle of a series of still-live wires. "Say it — you _like_ to torture me! And now you think you're all high and mighty," she dropped him, kicked off her shoe, and threw it at the Doctor's head, "just because you fought in some stupid war between two groups of people who don't matter, and what the hell do you care what happens to this universe? You think the life of some brat and your entire reality is worth my being stuck here? You think it doesn't hurt just how selfish you're being?"

The Doctor managed to sit up.

She… really did seem to be in pain. Honest pain. Was this something he could fix?

"I can… help you," he offered. "Stabilize you. Stop the pain."

The remains of the console sparked against him, the TARDIS still screaming, his ship's pain in his mind making him nearly convulse. But he held himself together.

"You're… twelfth dimensional," the Doctor explained. "Forced into… a three dimensional… compression field. I can… pull you through… make you fully human…"

Glory screamed. Her eyes blazing, as she yanked him up by the hair. "What?!"

Right.

So that wouldn't work.

"I don't want to be human, you got that?" Glory snapped. "I am a goddess. I am great, and I am beautiful, and my name is sacred and my deeds are holy, and when I am talking, then everyone should shut up and DO WHAT I WANT!"

Seo had taken advantage of Glory's distraction, and managed to scuttle out of the TARDIS. But she still wouldn't leave. Just remained, outside the double doors, staring in at the Doctor, tears in her eyes.

Don't start screaming. Don't start screaming.

Seo grabbed a stray spanner up off the ground, and threw it into the TARDIS, barely missing Glory. Then, with a sniffle, she turned and ran.

Glory snapped her head up, looking over her shoulder. "What?"

The Doctor still said nothing.

"Oh, you sneaky bastard!" Glory shouted. She dragged him against the ground, after her, as she raced out of the TARDIS. "Distracting me while you let her escape!"

He felt himself yanked and jerked and thrown against steps and walls and things, as Glory raced through the rest of the house, tearing rooms apart, searching, frantically, for Seo.

And still…

Didn't seem to notice that Seo was standing right in the middle of the living room. In plain sight.

When Glory finally got back to the living room, again, she looked a complete mess. Was trembling, hair going everywhere, tears and panic in her eyes.

"You're condemning everything, if you do this," the Doctor warned Glory. "Yourself. The world. The universe. Every universe. You can't—"

Glory stuffed a kid's toy into his mouth. "You mortals and your stupid little concerns!" she groaned. "Like I care what happens to your entire reality. You selfish, stuck up pig!" She leaned down, her hands suddenly cradling his head, a smile on her lips. "Tell you what. How about you use that great big brain of yours to help _me_ for a change?"

The Doctor thought fast. Very fast. Knew what was going to happen, and thought he could make it work to his advantage.

A human would never survive this.

But if he was very, _very_ lucky, he thought he could.

And as he felt Glory reach her hands into his brain, felt her suck the energy right out of him, he took advantage of that moment of weakness when she'd dropped her mental barriers, and twisted her own energies against her, pulling back. Hard as he could. Pulled at every scrap of mental energy she had, yanking it out carefully, so she wouldn't notice until he was done, and she had…

The wooden kid's block that hit Glory squarely in the jaw yanked her hands away from the Doctor's head. Breaking the connection.

Glory spun around. Her eyes fixed on Seo, who'd already grabbed the next block, ready to throw.

"You!" Glory shouted.

The Doctor opened his mouth to speak, but the whole world had gone fuzzy around him. Everything spinning and twirling, spiraling through possibilities and probabilities until he couldn't tell one from another from another.

He sagged against the couch. Unable to move.

As his world drifted into darkness.

* * *

Seo hurled the next block at Glory, then turned, and crawled at a breakneck speed towards the door.

"You little brat!" shouted Glory, advancing on the girl. "You self-centered twerp!"

Seo ducked out of the room, and Glory pursued her. Then… Glory stopped. The moment she got outside. Looked around, confused, discovering that the Key had vanished, once more. She narrowed her eyes, trying to locate the brat.

A sound, from her right, and Glory could see her, again. Could see the little twerp, scurrying away, across the yard, and… there was no way she'd let her Key get away from her, this time! She lunged forwards, using all the speed her goddess powers would allow, and grabbed up the wretched child in her arms.

"Oh, you stupid Monks," said Glory, with a laugh, racing with her Key back towards her apartments. "Thinking… I… could…"

Glory stopped. Blinked.

It was draining away from her. Her mental energy. Herself.

"No, but… but that's impossible!" Glory said, stumbling. "The… the Time Lord… the energy I sucked from his brain! I… I can't…!"

But he'd done something. Drained her mind, as she was draining his. Might have drained her, completely, if this baby hadn't… hadn't… hadn't…

Glory screamed.

As she was yanked back into her compression field prison.

* * *

Ben blinked.

One moment, he'd been at the hospital, helping patients. Then Glory had taken over. He'd blacked out. And, next thing he knew, he was here. Outside. Carrying a baby.

He didn't know whose baby it was. At first.

But the moment he felt the two hearts, he worked it out.

Ben sighed. "Sorry, little girl," he said, patting her head. "Guess I'll have to stop by the hospital to find out where you live, so I can take you home."

He glanced down at himself. Still wearing Glory's red dress.

"And get changed," he muttered, heading off.

* * *

Buffy had taken an extra long Patrol, just to try to cool down after the whole Riley thing.

It really, _really_ bugged her that she'd done that to Riley.

She got that the Doctor had never liked Riley, but… Buffy had, once upon a time. Once upon a time, she'd liked him enough to sleep with him. And now, she'd taken the trust and love they'd once had, and shoved it in his face.

What was she turning into?

Buffy staked another vampire, then sighed, and went home.

Time to make up with the Doctor and put this behind her. They had way bigger problems, with Seo, than possibly offending some… ex… boyfriend…

Buffy froze, as she approached her house, and realized… something was wrong. Really, really wrong! Door-open, home-ransacked, no-signs-of-life kind of wrong.

"No," Buffy breathed, as she raced inside. "Please, no!"

She found the Doctor lying on the couch, a familiar-looking guy in medical scrubs medically examining him, trying to bandage the injuries.

Seo had plastered herself against the far wall.

She looked terrified.

The guy in medical scrubs looked up, as Buffy entered. Seeming flustered. "Sorry, I was in the neighborhood… saw there was something wrong, and thought I could help." He gestured at Seo. "Your daughter was wandering around, lost, outside. I took her home." He offered Buffy his hand. "Ben Wilkinson. I'm not sure you remember."

Buffy didn't take the hand. Her eyes still fixed on the Doctor. "Is… is he…?"

"Still alive," Ben assured her. "He was just talking, a minute ago. He… didn't sound entirely sane, though." Ben grimaced. "Also, there appears to be a cardiovascular abnormality that…"

"He's fine," Buffy cut in, racing forward and grabbing him up, just to make sure no one could take him away. "The heart thing and the insane talking — that's all normal."

She hoped.

She leaned down, staring into the Doctor's cut up face. "Doctor?" Buffy whispered. Shaking him. "Can you hear me?"

The Doctor groaned. Stirred. "Trapped," he muttered. "Big trap. No way out. Fixed and unfixed. History circling, over and over. Spiraling down. No more widgets or sprockets, just shattering and…" His eyes opened, and he noticed Buffy. "Oh. Hello."

"Hello," said Buffy, relief washing over her. "You recognize me?"

"Buff—" the Doctor stopped. "No. Wait a tic. Told me not to call you that. Possibly. Or not." He held his hand up to his head. "Probabilities. Possibilities. Certainties. All mixed up, at the moment. Don't have enough… something… to tie it all… something."

Buffy felt her breathing quicken.

She could guess who'd shown up, while she was gone. What had almost happened to the Doctor.

"You… managed to stop her, before she got all the way through with you, huh?" Buffy said. Praying, desperately, that it was true. "Or are Time Lord brains just too much for her to suck?"

"What?" the Doctor asked. He frowned, in deep concentration, as if making sense was a real effort for him. "No. No, she was about to do it, right and proper. I did something clever, course. Pretty sure I got her good as she got me." He winked at Buffy. "Brilliant, remember?"

"Brilliant," Buffy agreed, a little desperately.

The Doctor nodded over at Seo. "She saved me," he said. "Threw a… whatsit… at the… whatsit."

Watching him lose words like this, be unable to completely work out the world around him, keep vacillating between being fine and being semi-insane… it made something inside of Buffy crumble.

"I'm guessing you don't want me to call an ambulance," Ben said.

"No," Buffy agreed. "We'll be fine. Just… thanks." She gave him as much of a smile as she could. "For the help."

Ben took one last look around, uneasily. Then took out a piece of paper, scratched his name and number down. "Look, if he needs medical attention… give me a call," Ben said. His voice lowered. "It's okay. I know he's not human. It wasn't hard to work out. I won't tell."

Buffy took the paper, looking it over, then looking up at Ben.

"Thanks," she said.

He nodded at Buffy. And left.

The moment he did, Seo unplastered herself from the wall. Eyes fixed on Ben's retreating form.

Buffy never did work out what Seo was so terrified of.


	53. Chapter 53

Martha's World:

"You know, before the Master came along — I always kind of liked games," Jack told the spider weaving its web, in the corner. "Especially games in the bedroom. Those are fun."

The spider didn't answer.

"I never asked," said Jack. "Is there a Mrs. Spider?" His voice lowered. "And if so, does she mind sharing?"

Still, no answer from the spider.

Unfortunately, for Jack, the word 'game' was now a word he'd come to dread. Particularly when the Master danced up to him, and said that word to him in that really gleeful way that meant that someone was going to suffer or die.

"I've got a new game!" the Master announced, one day, tapping the speakers set up by Jack. "It's called, 'Let's see how many ways we can get little Cupcake to cry over the Freak!'"

And so Jack listened.

When the Master was with Seo, she put on an act. A brave face. Snapped back at the Master, when he goaded her, shrugged off whatever he claimed that Jack had said about her or felt about her, and pretended none of this really mattered.

But after the Master left… and said that same phrase, the one that would give Jack nightmares forever—

"Just you remember, Daddy-Freak thinks you deserve this."

—Seo would curl up into a ball, inside her cupboard, and sob.

Begging an absent Jack for a forgiveness she thought he'd never give her.

Jack gritted his teeth.

The Master was insane, true, but there was usually a reason behind his madness. And Jack was betting this time wasn't any different. Something was going on in the background, something Jack couldn't see, which was provoking the Master to this kind of reaction.

Jack just didn't know what it was.

He asked Tish, one day.

Tish's face turned horrified. More and more so, as she realized what the Master was putting Jack through. She turned and raced off, without saying a word.

* * *

What Seo had done to provoke the Master was… well… a miracle.

No one quite knew how Seo did it. Or how to stop her doing it.

The Master certainly didn't, or he'd have put a stop to it, long ago. Nor did the guards, who never wound up catching her at it. Nor did even Tish, who came and brought Seo her food, every day.

But… somehow… every time that any of the Jones family had a particularly hard day, every time that the Master was especially cruel or the tortures were especially grueling...

Seo would always find some way to make sure they knew someone cared.

Francine, having to mop up the entire flight deck while, at the same time, the Master purposely tracked mud over the floor, over and over and over, again — came back to her quarters, at the end of the day, humiliated and disgusted and sore, to discover an origami rose tucked into a salvaged copy of her favorite book. A book she never thought she'd see, again.

Clive, forced to clean up blood after one of the Master's murder sprees, found an extra blanket on his bed, when he came back to his quarters.

And Tish, whose shoes were two sizes too small and hurt her feet, discovered a new pair of shoes tucked beneath her pillow, one day.

"Rumor has it," Clive whispered to the rest of his family, "she's worked out a way to get the Toclafane to buzz around and do a few favors for her, on the side, when the Master's not looking. They're the ones making it all happen. And they're the ones who race off to rat her out to the Master, after they're done."

Every time something nice happened for one of the Joneses… Seo paid the full price.

The Master's current game was trying to convince her that Jack hated her.

And judging by the horrible, heart-wrenching sobs echoing from her cupboard when she thought no one was looking, the Master was succeeding. Particularly after Seo had done something especially kind to the Jones family — that was when he really laid into her.

It was unbearable to the Joneses.

Hearing that girl sob until there were no more tears to shed — knowing they were the beneficiaries of her misery!

Finally, they couldn't stand it, anymore.

The Jones family broke down. And asked the one person for help who might actually be able to stop this.

They asked the Doctor.

* * *

"It's your lucky day, Freak!" said the Master, with a sneer. "I'm letting you and Cupcake have some alone time, together."

Then he turned, and left.

Tish stayed behind, feeding Jack the cold mashed swede.

"What brought this on?" Jack asked her.

Tish said nothing.

Jack hesitated. Looking her over. "You didn't offer the Master—?"

Tish shook her head. "The Doctor."

Jack felt a sudden wave of — horror? Thankfulness? Relief mixed with fear? — wash across him. As he immediately worked out what had happened.

"You got the Doctor to twist the Master's arm," Jack said.

Tish didn't answer. Couldn't meet Jack's eyes.

"What did the Doctor give up, for this meeting to take place?" asked Jack.

"I don't know," said Tish. "But… I couldn't just sit around and let this keep going on, Jack. I had to do something, no matter what the cost."

Jack winced in pain. "So it's that bad, huh?"

"All I know is, since it happened, the Doctor won't meet anyone else's eyes," said Tish. "And the Master's been even more smug and possessive than usual."

For a few moments, neither one said anything.

"And… Martha?" Jack asked, at last.

"Still out there," said Tish, as the last of the mashed swede was finished. "Free."

Jack nodded. "Then at least… there's hope."

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Seo's World:

Willow, Xander, Tara, and Giles stepped into the ruined remains of the Doctor's TARDIS, their eyes wide, their jaws dropping.

"I thought… no one could break in," said Xander.

Buffy sighed. "Hell Goddess, remember?"

She hadn't exactly worked out what that meant, but… she was starting to get a pretty good idea.

"And this is a goddess who isn't even at full strength," Giles muttered. "A goddess who's been almost completely disabled — at least, in her present form. If she'd been at full power…"

They all looked at one another.

And shuddered.

"How's the Doctor doing?" Tara asked Buffy.

"He'll be okay," Buffy said. Trying to keep most of the desperation out of her voice. "He said… since the mental energy drain wasn't complete, he could heal from it. Some… Time Lord superpower."

Buffy really, _really_ hoped that was true.

"Okay, I get that this is a show of strength from Glory," said Willow. "Take away our important possessions, because we're stealing her Key. But… why the TARDIS?"

Everyone looked at Willow, confused.

"The Key only activates at one point in time, right?" said Willow. She gestured at the TARDIS. "Wouldn't a time machine be pretty useful for that?"

Giles took off his glasses. "She's right," he muttered, rubbing them against his shirt.

"The Doctor mentioned something about Glory being 'slightly barmy'," Xander offered. "I'm pretty sure that's British for 'total nutjob'."

"She's not crazy, she's confident," Tara put in. She shuffled awkwardly. "Glory knows everything, now. Who the Key is. Where to find her. Glory isn't worried about missing her deadline. Because the hard part's over."

Buffy shook her head. "It's not."

Everyone looked at everyone else. Then looked at the smashed-up TARDIS.

If Glory could break into the TARDIS, there was nowhere Seo could hide. Nowhere Glory couldn't get to her.

"Glory can kill every single one of us," said Buffy, "but she still won't get the Key. The Monks outsmarted her."

"What do you mean, won't get—?" Willow started.

Buffy turned to them, a look of utter relief on her face. "Glory knows who the Key is," said Buffy. "But not _where_ it is. Because Glory can't see Seo."

* * *

The Doctor had his bouts of complete insane jabbering.

The times when he kept going on about being trapped, about prisons and paradoxes, about the universe being wrong and shattering and cracking and probabilities smashing together with no way to fix them, no way to stop it all from crashing down…

And then he had his moments where he was normal. Sane. Understandable.

"Ordinary perception filter wouldn't work on Glory," the Doctor explained to them, when he was in one of his normal states. "Higher dimensional entity, and all that. But Seo — she's constructed specifically for this purpose. So Glory can't see her. Long as she doesn't draw attention to herself, Glory won't know where she is."

Apparently, Time Lord healing powers worked slower to cure mental injuries than physical ones. So Buffy stayed beside the Doctor, and looked after him. Tried to nurse him back to health.

As much as she could.

Meantime, Glory was still going to target their house. Which meant… time to get people out of it.

Buffy made Mom move out of the house and go into hiding, for her own protection. Then cleared out all the baby stuff, while the Scoobies took turns babysitting Seo.

But this was Buffy's child. Buffy's responsibility. She wouldn't put her friends at risk for her baby.

So the moment the baby stuff was removed, Buffy took Seo back home. Kept her in a crib hidden down in the basement, nestled in the shadows of the ruined TARDIS.

"Glory will be back," Buffy told Giles. "But this way, she'll think I've hidden Seo somewhere else."

When Willow and Tara brought Seo to move back in, she raced off to find her mommy and daddy. Toddled into the room where Buffy was nursing the weakened Doctor, and…

Seo stopped. Stood in the doorway. Dracky in hand. A frown settling across her face, as she took in the scene in front of her. Confused.

Willow and Tara led her away.

"How much of this do you think she's picking up?" Willow asked Tara, softly, as they settled Seo down in the living room.

Tara hesitated. "She... saw Glory… you know…"

Willow nodded.

"There's always a time when you find out your parents aren't indestructible," said Tara. She pat Seo on the head. "She's just… coming to terms with that younger than most."

* * *

Seo _didn't_ understand very much of what was happening. Or why.

Didn't understand what had happened, in the blue box, when daddy had been screaming. Or why daddy was always lying down, now, and mommy was always looking scared. Or why all her toys were gone, except for Dracky, and she had to sleep in the basement. Or why grandma had left, and only stopped by every so often.

But Seo understood one thing.

Daddy was sad.

And that made her feel all funny and bad inside her chest. Seo didn't want Daddy sad. She needed to make Daddy happy!

But… how?

Seo sat a long time, thinking. Before she came up with the answer.


	54. Chapter 54

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might want to refresh your memory about the Axis, which is where the Seo's World timeline actually is. Refer to "Your Nature", chapter 30.
> 
> The information there is about to become relevant.

Seo's World:

After the Glory attack, Buffy had been busy. Really busy. But she finally got the chance to get a small nap in, after hours of tireless work trying to make sure her daughter was safe and her Boyfriendish was recovering.

When she woke to a scream.

Buffy jumped to her feet and bolted towards the noise, to discover…

Seo, sitting on the just-woken Doctor's stomach and thrusting the Dracula doll stubbornly into his face. The Doctor panting, trying to calm down.

God — it must have been the first thing he saw, waking up! The face of the vampire who'd nearly buried him alive.

No wonder he'd freaked.

"No, Seo, don't do that," Buffy said, picking her up. "That's _your_ toy. Not Daddy's toy."

Seo seemed utterly bewildered. She looked down at Dracula. Then back at the Doctor.

"Da!" said Seo. "Da! Da! Da! Da! Da!"

Buffy gave a long, weary sigh. Then turned to the Doctor. "You all right?"

"Fine," the Doctor said. Trying to stumble to his feet. "Perfectly fine. Just…" He shuddered. Looked around himself. "It's clear. Finally. So clear. Trapped. Flies in a jar. No way out. Circling, spiraling, all loops round again. Forever."

Oh, no. Another bout of insanity.

"Doctor, just take it easy," Buffy urged, trying to get him to lie down. "You said this brain thing would take a while to get over, and—"

"TARDIS," the Doctor said, managing to stand despite Buffy's insistence. "Have to get to her. Have to see…"

* * *

He stood there, in the doorway, staring at the destroyed innards of his ship.

Buffy standing just beside, baby Seo in her arms.

"I'm sorry," said Buffy.

The Doctor had an expression of the deepest pain on his face. The deepest sorrow imaginable.

"And so it all falls to dust," the Doctor whispered.

Buffy bit her lower lip. There was nothing she could say to this.

Seo, staring at her father, seemed very worried. Then she tried thrusting the Dracula doll out at him, a little more determined.

"Da!" Seo said.

The Doctor didn't even seem to notice. Just entered his ship, walked towards the smoldering console. "I… need to be alone," the Doctor told them. "Please."

Buffy nodded.

Shut the double doors, behind her.

* * *

Standing in the middle of his ruined ship, the Doctor looked around him. His mind in turmoil. His thoughts all a jumble.

Dare he…? Should he…?

Then he thought of Buffy. Of Seo. Of the world, and everyone in it who'd been so kind and wonderful and brilliant.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor told his ship. "I am so, so sorry."

He leaned down, beginning to grab up bits and pieces of the central console.

"But I have no choice."

* * *

"I just think… it'd be better if she didn't see the Doctor, for a bit," Buffy told her friends, when she dropped Seo off at the Magic Box. "She keeps trying to cheer him up by giving him her Dracula doll."

Seo was sitting on the table. Her eyes still confused, fixed on the Dracula doll in her hands.

"The Doctor woke up, earlier today, and the first thing he saw was Count Dracula's face," Buffy said. "And with his brain still kind of scrambled, he seriously freaked."

"Wow," said Willow.

"I guess… she doesn't get that what makes her happy… doesn't make everyone else happy," said Tara.

"Just… keep Seo here," said Buffy. She turned, to leave the shop. "I have to go check on Mom and the Doctor."

Seo looked up at the Scoobies, as Buffy left. Showed them her Dracula doll, her face still creased into a deep frown. "Da?"

"No, don't show that to Daddy," Willow told Seo. "Daddy doesn't like Dracula."

Seo seemed completely unable to grasp this concept.

"Dracula…" Willow hesitated. Then turned to the others. "How do you explain to her that Dracula hurt the Doctor, just like Glory did?"

"You don't," said Giles. "She's a child. Far too young to absorb any of this."

Seo looked down at Dracky, again. Frown spreading. "Da."

"Daddy's going to be okay," said Tara. Giving the girl a soft smile. "Don't worry."

Seo didn't seem to worry.

But when Buffy woke up, the next morning, and checked on Seo, she found the Dracula doll ripped into a thousand tiny pieces, all across Seo's crib.

And one very angry baby.

"Da," Seo growled.

* * *

A week later, the Doctor seemed to be doing a lot better.

But, as he did better and better, he spent more and more time alone in the TARDIS. Door locked.

Trying to heal his ship, Buffy figured.

His ship. His one constant companion — he'd told her. Losing that… would be devastating. Even just coming this close to losing the TARDIS…

It'd be like nearly losing a parent.

Buffy went to find her TARDIS key, so she could go check on him. Comfort him, as he fussed over the shattered remnants of his ship. Be with him, in case his ship… didn't make it.

But… for some reason… she couldn't find her TARDIS key.

"I think Seo's swallowed my key," Buffy told the Doctor, the next time she saw him. "I can't find it, anywhere."

"She hasn't," said the Doctor, opening up one of the cupboards, and taking out a jar of marmalade. "I destroyed your TARDIS key."

Buffy stared at him. Her jaw dropping open.

"Why?" she demanded.

"Don't want you inside the TARDIS," the Doctor replied, taking the marmalade with him, as he left for the basement. "Ever again."

* * *

Seo had always been a troublemaker. A mischievous baby, either running away or stealing things she couldn't have.

But she'd still always been kind of happy. Easygoing. Care free.

Not anymore.

It was like… watching Glory hurt her father… had changed Seo completely.

She didn't laugh, so much, anymore.

Her large, brown eyes had turned cold. Angry. Accusing.

"Sometimes, it feels like she's… blaming us," Willow whispered. "For not stopping it."

No one knew exactly how much Seo understood about what happened. But it had changed her. Deeply, deeply changed her.

"Coo!" said Seo, to Willow and Tara, as they were watching her while Buffy was on Patrol. She reached for the cookies that were on the counter. "Coo! Coo! Coo!"

Xander had once given her a cookie, when he realized she had enough teeth to chew it with. A very soft, chocolate flavored cookie, easy to chew.

That had been a mistake.

"No, Seo, these are hard cookies," Willow tried to explain. "You couldn't eat them."

Seo's eyes went dark. "Coo," she demanded, her voice an icy growl.

Willow and Tara exchanged a look.

"Seo, why don't we find you something you can eat?" Tara proposed, kneeling down. "Wouldn't you like—?"

Seo screamed.

Punching and kicking out against the ground, with a force and violence that seemed to make the whole house shake. Her hand punched right through the tiled floor, and Willow and Tara ducked as shattered tile flew everywhere.

Then, a week later, Giles had been babysitting Seo, when he noticed it was bedtime. Time to go to sleep.

Seo didn't want to go to sleep.

When Giles picked her up, she struggled, clawed to get free, then she kicked him in the stomach hard enough that he doubled over, and squirmed out of his grip.

She toddled across the basement, glaring at him.

"Seo, I'm dreadfully sorry," Giles tried, catching his breath. "But you really must go to bed. It's—"

The stake that Seo hurled only barely missed him.

A few days after that, Xander had nearly been knocked out by the bathtime-floating-kiddie-play-castle that was chucked at his head, when he tried to give Seo a bath she hadn't wanted to take.

"Buffy," Xander said to her, after he'd managed to lock Seo inside the bathroom, his face white as a sheet. "Your daughter is really, _really_ scary."

Buffy wasn't sure what to say.

If Seo was acting this badly, now… what would she be like in the terrible twos?

Buffy had no idea.

But she was starting to think she wouldn't survive it.

* * *

Seo didn't stop running away to Spike's crypt, though.

And she kept bringing more and more toys along with her. Toys that she would play with, by herself, in the corner. Whether Spike was there or not.

Spike was starting to get seriously annoyed.

"I'd kill her if it wasn't for this bloody chip in my head," Spike told a demon, once, as he sat drinking at Willy's.

"Let me come over, and I'll do it for you," the demon replied.

Spike gave a soft laugh. "Nah, don't bother," he said. "Her mum'd make a mess of you before you even got close."

He definitely didn't like Goldilocks Junior. And he certainly _wasn't_ getting attached to her.

The toy chest he'd gotten for her to keep her toys in, at his crypt, had nothing whatsoever to do with his feelings towards the little blighter.

"You just remember that I'm evil," Spike told her, helping her put her toys in the chest. "Got that? Because I am. I'm bloody terrifying, you know."

Seo looked up at him. A sad sort of loneliness in her eyes.

A single tear dropped down onto her cheek.

Spike sighed. "Oh, come here," he muttered, sweeping her into a hug. Seo hugged him back, very tightly. Incredibly tightly. Babbling baby-speak into his leather coat.

Nope. He definitely didn't feel anything towards the runt.

Nothing at all.

* * *

The moment the Doctor heard that Warren's deranged robot girlfriend was on the loose, he'd immediately wanted to come with Buffy, and do something sciencey to stop it.

"No," said Buffy.

Buffy could deal with this robot thing on her own.

"What?" the Doctor cried. "But… it's a robot! Course I'm helping with a robot!"

"You're still getting over that whole brain-sucking thing," said Buffy.

The Doctor tapped the side of his head. "Fit as a fiddle, now." Winked at her. "Time Lord."

"And you're still going all major freak-out with the TARDIS," Buffy continued. "And, anyways, one of us has to stay here and look after Seo."

"Just drop her off with your friends," the Doctor said, tugging on his coat. "No problem."

"She's been nearly killing my friends," Buffy pointed out to him.

"Then _you_ look after her, and _I'll_ deal with the robot!" the Doctor replied, with a grin. Raising up his sonic screwdriver.

"No," said Buffy, sternly. "And if I have to knock you out and tie you up to make you stay here, I will."

The grin fell from the Doctor's face.

"Look, you just take care of Seo, while I sort out robo-mania," Buffy told him. "I'll be fine."

What she didn't tell him was that she was terrified that he still wasn't all right. That she just wanted him to take it easy, for a little while, before he launched himself into mega-danger type things, again.

Which is why she'd asked Mom to come by, later, just to check in and make sure things were okay. Make sure that the Doctor wasn't having one of his insane moments, or that Seo hadn't randomly started peeling off drywall, again.

The Doctor would be in a huff.

But he'd get over it.

Buffy grabbed up her coat.

And left, to go deal with Warren's robot.

* * *

The moment Joyce showed up, the Doctor was absolutely livid. "I am fine!" he snapped. "There is no reason that you could possibly have for—"

"Hello, there, Seo," Joyce said, brushing past him and picking up the little girl.

Seo beamed at Joyce.

For whatever reason, Seo was still all smiles and laughter and eager hugs around Joyce. Even if she wasn't around the rest of them, anymore.

"Right, well then!" the Doctor said, putting back on his trench coat. "You're here. That means _I'm_ off to deal with the robot!"

But Joyce had been expecting that.

And was, apparently, under strict instructions from Buffy to stop the Doctor from leaving.

Joyce shot him her best scary-mum look, advanced on him, eyes narrow. "Listen, bud. If you set one foot out that door…"

The Doctor backed away, hands raised, eyes wide.

Joyce Summers was far more intimidating than any vampire Buffy had ever faced on Patrol.

"Right," the Doctor said. "I'll… just…"

He hesitated.

Then fled, down into the basement, and shut himself up in his TARDIS.

* * *

Joyce hadn't seen the Doctor for about an hour. But it was naptime for Seo. So Joyce brought Seo down to her crib, and tucked the girl in. Giving her a large, gentle smile.

"Good night, little Seo," said Joyce. She pulled the blanket up around Seo, who snuggled into her nap. Then patted the little girl's hair. "I love you."

Then Joyce went upstairs.

Lay down on the couch, staring at the ceiling, musing over everything that was going on, in her life, right now.

Then there was an aneurism in her brain.

And she died.

* * *

Buffy entered the house, after the thing with Warren's robot got resolved. She locked up the front door, then dropped her coat and bag. Mom was on the couch.

"Hey, Mom," Buffy called, strolling over. "Any problems with…?"

She stopped. Stared.

"Mom?"

No answer from Mom. Who was lying with her eyes open, staring straight ahead, her body stiff and unnatural.

A chill ran through Buffy.

"Mommy?" Buffy whispered.


	55. Chapter 55

Martha's World:

Jack knew there'd be a catch. There was always a catch.

When Seo showed up, in the bowels of the Valiant, to meet with him… he could tell that she'd been both blinded and deafened. That was obvious.

"What have you done to her?" Jack growled at the Master.

"Nothing permanent, Daddy-Freak," said the Master, with a beam, bouncing on his toes. "Never you fret! Just wanted to make sure you remembered what you really are."

Jack gritted his teeth. He'd seen the Master do this with the Doctor a number of times. Trying to prove to Jack that the Doctor only ever put up with Jack's wrongness out of the kindness of his hearts — that, in actuality, the Doctor couldn't stand being near him.

But when Seo got near, and was released from the guards' grips, she didn't flinch away from Jack or struggle to hide her discomfort. She just turned her head towards Jack, knowing exactly where he was based on some extra sense inside of her. And smiled.

"Hi, Jack," she said.

"Long time no see, kid," said Jack, even though she couldn't hear.

Then, purposely, determinedly, Seo walked right up to him, and threw her arms around him.

"It's all right," Seo said, without having any idea what he'd said to her, or even that he'd spoken. "I know what the Master wants me to do. But he's already lost the game." She beamed. "Because I'm too rubbishly made to feel any pain from you."

Jack laughed.

"It's a bit like… sticking a numb hand over a flame," Seo said, a thoughtful look on her face. "You can see it's burning. Smell it. Know it. Understand it. Witness the consequences of it. But there's no feeling whatsoever. No pain." She reflected. "I didn't even flee from vampires, when I was a baby. Same problem, I guess."

Jack was chained up too tight to hug her back. But he couldn't help but give a little chuckle at this.

"I just wanted to say… I'm sorry," said Seo, into his chest. "For making you run away from me. For everything with Bilis Manger and Abaddon. I know it was my fault. I don't understand how or why, but I'm sure I'll work that out, eventually. I'm just… sorry. For all of it."

Jack sighed. "One of these days, you have to stop blaming yourself for Owen's mistakes," he muttered.

Then remembered Owen dying, horribly, at the Master's hands. And felt a terrible sense of guilt and loss and pain eating him up from the inside.

"I don't blame you, you know, for running away and not wanting to deal with me, anymore," Seo informed him. "I'm a very frustrating person to be around." Her blind eyes twinkled. " _I_ wouldn't want to deal with me, either."

Jack laughed, despite himself. "Always like dealing with you."

"I just want you to know," said Seo, stepping away from him, her head held high, "that I'm really glad you're not dead. From Abaddon. Or anything else, since."

Then, with one last smile at him, she spun on her heels, her head held high, and left.

The Master looked _livid_.

Jack grinned, after Seo. Amazed, as always, at just how brave and determined this girl was, even in the face of such torment and cruelty.

Impossible, brave little Seo.

* * *

The Master hadn't liked it. Not at all.

What was supposed to be a meeting that tore the two of them apart had made them both feel even better than they had before the Master had taken over!

Well.

Next time… the Master would be better prepared.

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Seo's World:

The scream that rang through the house brought the Doctor racing to the living room. Where he discovered Buffy in shock and horror, frantically trying to save a clearly dead mum.

Dead for a while, looked like.

This was it. The fixed point in Joyce Summers' timeline.

"And it's happened before," the Doctor muttered. He ran a hand through his hair. "Will keep happening, over and over and over again."

Buffy scrambled for the phone, calling 9-1-1. The whole scene playing out in front of the Doctor, almost surreal, as if running on automatic.

Buffy trying CPR. The paramedics arriving, attempting to revive her. Failing. Calling the death. Nothing could revive Joyce. She'd been dead too long.

"Too…" Buffy repeated, when she heard the news.

Then she turned on the Doctor — who'd been in the house. Who should have been by Joyce's side, when it had happened.

"You!" Buffy shouted, jumping at him.

The Doctor caught her by the arms. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so—"

She jerked her hands out of the Doctor's grasp, beating her fists against his chest. "You should have been there!" she shouted. "You should have been…" She sucked in a sharp breath, clinging to him. "Fix this! Make it better! Make her come back!"

"I can't," the Doctor said.

"You're the Doctor!" Buffy sobbed, into his chest. "You fix things! That's what you do!"

"But not this," the Doctor said.

They went to the hospital. Giles coming over to look after Seo. They found out there was nothing anyone could have done to save Joyce. Even if the Doctor had been at her side, when it had happened.

There'd been a complication with the surgery to remove the tumor.

"Joyce knew the risks of this kind of operation," the medical doctor at the hospital informed Buffy. "She knew this kind of thing might happen, as a result."

Buffy shot the Doctor a furious stare. Because he'd been the one who had refused to give her mum medical equipment and help from the future. Medical assistance that might be more reliable.

"I couldn't have stopped this," the Doctor told her. "Really. No matter what."

Buffy said nothing for a long moment. A very long moment.

"Then what's the point of you?" she breathed.

* * *

In the end, they'd had an argument. An argument that had broken into a fight.

"You couldn't have checked on her?" Buffy shouted. "You knew this could happen! You knew this was a risk! Why weren't you there?"

The Doctor didn't answer.

"I'll tell you why," snapped Buffy. "It's because you were in the TARDIS, again! You loved your ship more than Mom!"

That seemed to make the Doctor even sadder.

"Don't you care?" Buffy shouted. "Don't you feel anything? Is this even sinking in? You obsessed over a stupid broken time machine, and now Mom is dead, and… and… why?" She grabbed him up. "Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?"

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said.

"You should have fixed her!" Buffy continued. "You're fixing your ship — and that's not even a real person! Why couldn't you have fixed my mom? Why couldn't you have stopped this?"

There was no answer he could give to that question, and everyone knew it.

"I can't deal with this," Buffy admitted, letting him go. She squeezed her eyes shut. "Just… go! Get out of here! Leave me alone!"

She'd meant leave her alone for a little while.

She hadn't realized, until he'd been gone for two days, that he might not have taken it that way.

But now, here she was. Mom being lowered into the ground. And she was all by herself. All alone. Just Buffy, with no help. Buffy, holding little Seo in her arms, as the casket was lowered.

"Gamma?" Seo asked.

It was the question Seo never stopped asking.

To everyone. Everywhere. Kept toddling around, trying to understand why people were so sad, and why everyone was gathered, here, together, when Grandma wasn't around.

"Grandma… isn't coming back," Tara whispered, when Seo approached her and the other Scoobies. "She's… gone away. Forever."

Seo frowned, not seeming to accept this. Then toddled off, to find someone else to ask.

"Where's Boyfriendish?" Xander whispered to the others.

"Buffy… kind of… accidentally… threw him out," Willow muttered.

They all grimaced.

Not really sure what to do. What to say.

As Buffy stood there. All alone. Even after the funeral. Standing by her mother's graveside. Just Buffy.

"Gamma?" asked Seo, toddling over and pulling on her mother's pant leg.

Buffy looked down at Seo.

Her daughter.

And felt the tears well up in her eyes. Felt every desperate fear and terror swelling within her. This beautiful little girl, who might be all that Buffy had left.

She picked Seo up, hugging her, tightly. Never wanting to let go.

"I love you," Buffy said, through tears. "Remember. Please remember. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you."


	56. Chapter 56

Martha's World:

The second meeting between Jack and Seo, the Master was clearly taking more precautions to make sure it went badly.

Jack knew this, because he'd woken up, that morning, to Seo's tortured screams.

The Master had put her back in the node manipulator machine. Not to cross any dimensions, this time. Just because he knew it hurt her to be in there.

_Then_ , he let her visit Jack.

Seo could hear and see him, this time. And the Master hadn't even threatened Jack with any executions, if he told her he forgave her.

So he did.

Told her that it wasn't her fault, that he had been waiting for the Doctor for the past 150 years, and was always planning to run off with him, first chance he got. Jack told her that he _didn't_ think she deserved anything that had happened to her, so far, and would have stopped it if he could. He negated every one of the Master's assertions that had made her cry — that she wasn't a prisoner of Torchwood, that Jack didn't considered her an exotic pet he showed off to alien collectors, and on and on and on.

"You're a member of my team," said Jack. "But you don't have to be. You're not our prisoner. Any time you want — you can leave. No retcon. No nothing." He looked deep into her eyes. "That's how much I trust you."

Seo just stood there, her face pale. Struggling to keep herself upright. She opened and closed her mouth a few times. Trying to summon voice.

Whatever the Master had drugged her with, today, had been vicious to start with. And the node manipulator hadn't helped.

"I'm… just… Screw-up Seo," she breathed. "Ending the world by accident. Can't even… stop… _him_." She looked around, a dark glare in her eyes, searching for the Master.

But he seemed to have vanished.

"Hey," said Jack. "I chased a handsome guy in a blue box, and because of that, the world's in flames and I'm killed at least three times a day! That makes me a lot more of a screw-up than you."

Seo opened her mouth, to speak, again. But broke down into a fit of coughing, unable to stop herself from sinking to her knees.

"You're not all right at all, are you?" asked Jack.

"The poisons are… a courtesy service," Seo choked out. "I've been repaying the favor… by pointing out… that this isn't 'ruling the world'… it's just… a flimsy excuse for an ego trip."

Jack gave a shaky laugh. What he really wanted to do was race over there and help her, but he was chained up too tight to do that.

"Do… you really… consider me… a person?" Seo managed to choke out, between coughs.

"Never doubted it," Jack assured her. He winked. "A good person. The best person. Always doing whatever it takes to stand up for what's right."

"You really think so, Freak?" said the Master, strolling back into the room, a malicious grin on his face. "Let's put that to the test."

He stepped aside to reveal, behind him, Gwen Cooper. Half-starved, unkempt, dirty — like everyone gathered up from Earth's surface. Led forward, in chains, by armed guards. Marks of recent bruising and injuries across her skin showing she hadn't been taken down without a fight.

Seo got to her feet. Eyes growing wide, as she saw Gwen.

"Supposedly, you've got the ability to kill immortals," said the Master, with a grin. "Or so they say. So! You've got a choice, Cupcake." His grin widened. "Either you kill the Freak for good… or Gwen Cooper dies."

Seo's jaw trembled, just slightly.

"You kill the Freak for good, you put him out of his misery," the Master offered. "End his suffering. And save his friend. That's the right thing to do, isn't it?" He gave a theatrical pout. "Oh, but I forgot! Kill the Freak, and you'll be alone, up here!"

Seo didn't move.

"So which is it?" asked the Master. "Do what's right and kill your Daddy-Freak? Or be selfish?"

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Seo's World:

The Doctor came back. A week later.

And he and Buffy made up. Forgave each other without words. Rushed forward and swept each other up into a tight hug, for a few long moments, neither saying anything.

"I thought… that was it," Buffy whispered. "The day you leave me."

Just like he left all of his companions, eventually.

"I've got nothing else left," the Doctor told her.

Buffy squeezed her eyes shut. "I should have known you'd come back," she continued. "I mean, your ship's here and stuff. You can't leave without that." She sighed. "I feel like kind of an idiot, now."

The Doctor said nothing to this.

His eyes fixed on that basement door. A horrible look nestled deep within those black corneas.

"I'm sorry," Buffy said. "About the fight. And everything I said. You couldn't have done anything. I was just… upset."

Still, no answer from the Doctor.

"You've got a connection to your ship that's hard to explain," Buffy said. "I get that. Seeing the TARDIS all smashed up like that… must be like me seeing my mom—"

"Elizabeth," the Doctor cut in. "Stop. Really. Stop."

* * *

Besides the Doctor, no one else saw the inside of the TARDIS after he'd begun to repair Glory's destruction.

Except… Seo.

She'd woken up, one day. Sat up in her crib. Looked around.

No one about.

Climbed out, toddled over to the TARDIS. Her hand against a panel of the locked door.

"Da?" Seo called.

No answer.

So she pushed.

And, after a lot of heaving, the TARDIS groaned, and the door gave way.

Revealing…

Seo stared at what was being built inside the TARDIS. Her eyes wide. Not sure what she was seeing. It hadn't looked anything like that, before!

"But…? You…?" the Doctor gaped, seeing what Seo had done. He stared at her. "How?"

"Da," Seo explained.

Then she toddled over, reaching out towards the new stuff being constructed in the middle, where the central console had once been.

The Doctor raced forward, yanking her back before she could touch anything.

"Touch the wrong thing in there," he warned, "and you'll blow up the solar system."

Seo looked confused. Peered between the Doctor, and the machine he was building inside the TARDIS.

"Forget you saw this," the Doctor said, scooping her into his arms and carrying her out of the ship. "Any of this. It's not…" He glanced back at it, over his shoulder. His eyes lost and sad. "It's one of the worst things I've ever had to do."

Seo didn't understand.

The Doctor locked the door behind him. Then paused, examining the dent in the outside panel, where Seo had pushed her way in.

"What did they do to you, when they made you?" the Doctor muttered. Shook his head. "What did they do?"

* * *

Glory accosted Buffy, a few days later.

"So," said Glory. "You gonna tell me where she is?"

Seo was at the Magic Box. But Buffy wasn't going to say anything about that.

"I don't know who you're talking about," said Buffy, trying to get by.

Glory grabbed her up by the wrist, spun her around. "You know what I hate about you mortals?" she snapped. "You always stick up for yourselves, being all superhero like." Her eyes gleamed. "So let's see how superhero you really are."

* * *

Buffy managed to get away.

But when she went to pick up Seo, she looked beat up and miserable. And was feeling pretty panicked.

Glory was coming.

And it was only a matter of time before Buffy and the Doctor stopped getting lucky, against her.

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Martha's World:

Seo looked between Jack and Gwen. Her hearts thudding rapidly in her chest. Her brain trying to think past the drugs and the lingering pain from the node manipulator.

Think through possibilities and probabilities and potentials.

Think past that nasty little thing inside her, prompting her to figure out how to murder every single person in this room. Every single person… including…

Seo looked at Jack.

Then at the Master.

Then back at Jack. Swallowed, hard.

"Just do it," said Jack. "I'm ready."

Seo took a deep breath. Mustering up her strength. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Then, in a burst of energy, she raced towards Jack. Kicked out at his stomach, throwing Jack back against the wall, just the way the Master expected her to do. But then using the momentum of that kick to vault herself through the air, flip backwards, and land…

Right in between the Master and Gwen.

Breathing heavily, she punched out at the Master, who grabbed her up by the wrist, twisting her arm until she cried out in pain.

"Trying to kill me, instead?" the Master asked, delighted. "Oh, someone's been a bad, bad little Cupcake." He leaned in, closer to her, and in a harsh whisper, added, "Thing is… I'm the Master. I always win."

"I hate you," said Seo, and summoned all her rage and anger and hatred to deliver a blow to the Master's midsection.

Her fist clanged, as it struck metal.

"If you kill me," the Master continued, "then I certainly win. What would the Doctor say, knowing his little Cupcake was responsible for killing the only other Time Lord out there? What would he think?"

"You're… an android," said Seo. And she could feel it, now, in the way the Master's hand was grabbing her. "A duplicate."

"I thought you'd pull something like this," said the robot-Master. He let her go, shoving her to the ground. "The android's psychically controlled — that's why it picks you up. Another Kamelion. Your father would find that nostalgic."

Seo tried to get up, but the robot-Master slammed a foot down on her back.

"You can't kill me that easily, little girl," the robot-Master said. "I am your Master. Remember that." He waved at the guards, standing nearby. "Kill Gwen Cooper."

"No!" shouted both Jack and Seo, at once.

The guards formed a firing squad, leveling guns, but Seo freed herself from the Master, stumbled to her feet, and raced out to stand in front of Gwen.

The robot-Master sighed. "Get Cupcake out of the way, and kill Cooper," he muttered. Then turned, walking out of the room. "I've got a world to rule, a universe to conquer, and a Martha Jones to find."

The guards began to swarm, and Seo, in desperation, summoned up every last remnant of energy she had. Forced herself to act, because Gwen was in danger, and it was up to Seo to protect her.

One of the guards grabbed Seo, but she twisted him around so he collided with a pipe, kicking out at another guard coming up from behind. Clawed at a third that had snatched her up by the elbows, kicking and struggling to keep herself between them and Gwen. Thrashing and screaming as she freed herself from that guard's grip, and managed to knock back another two.

"Seo!" Jack shouted. "Stop—!"

But Seo couldn't take in what he said, as three guards raced her, all at once, trying to tackle her. Seo managed to roll out of the way, but one of the guards already on the ground caught her by the legs, and another reached or his rifle.

"No!" Seo shouted, grabbing up the rifle-guard by the neck and throwing him back.

And it was only when that guard's limp body crashed against the ground… that Seo realized… she'd snapped the man's neck.

She froze.

She'd killed someone. A human being. A person.

Stared into his eyes as she murdered him.

The guards tackled Seo to the ground, easily, at that point. But didn't bother shooting Gwen. Focused all their attention on Seo.

Which was when Seo realized that Gwen had already collapsed. Her face deathly pale. Her breathing unsteady.

The Master had poisoned her, before this had ever begun. Never intended to let Gwen survive.

"Jack," said Gwen, her voice weak and gasping. "I… I love…"

And then she dropped to the ground.

Dead.

Seo stared. At Gwen. And all the men she'd injured. The guard whose eyes she'd clawed at, in desperation. The guards she'd managed to hurt enough that they were coughing up blood. And that one guard… lying dead, on the floor…

One of the uninjured guards took up his rifle. And shot Jack dead.

Then gestured at the other guards, who picked Seo up. Dragged her back across the Valiant. Threw her into her cupboard, and locked her inside.

Seo stayed there.

Didn't cry. Didn't weep. Just stared, straight ahead. Unable to get the memory of blood and death out of her mind. Blood and death… that _she_ had caused.

But unlike with the Scottish castle, when it had all been an accident, this time… Seo had _wanted_ to hurt them. Wanted to _kill_ them.

She'd never meant to actually go through with it.

But she had.

* * *

When Tish came by, she leaned down, to check on Seo. Frowned, when Seo didn't respond.

"You all right?" Tish asked.

For a few moments, there was silence.

Then, in a small voice, "I'm scared."

Tish put her hand in, through the food hatch. "I'm here," she said. "You don't have to be scared. I can—"

"I've just crossed a line," said Seo, taking Tish's hand. "A line I can't uncross." A shudder ran through her. "And I'm terrified… that I might not care."


	57. Chapter 57

Seo's World:

Buffy knew she needed to be upbeat and optimistic around Seo. Despite Glory beating her up, or any tensions in her relationship with the Doctor, or Mom dying. Mom might be dead, but… Buffy was a mom, too, now. Seo's mom.

And with the Doctor working in his TARDIS with almost a feverish urgency, and always looking more and more depressed every time he emerged from it… that meant the optimism and cheerfulness was all down to Buffy.

Damn.

She brought her daughter some crayons and paper, set her up drawing pictures on the coffee table.

Seo loved drawing. She drew in great big rainbow squiggles across the page. Bright, cheery squiggles and lines and marks that could light up everything. And after she was done with a picture, she'd beam, and start chattering to Buffy in baby-speak.

Buffy knelt down by Seo, giving the child a soft smile, as she scribbled across the paper in intense concentration.

"What's that?" Buffy asked, pointing to a bunch of random lines and squiggles that didn't seem to represent anything — except in the high standard of baby-refrigerator-art analyzers.

"Ma!" Seo said, with a beam.

Buffy pointed at herself, planting a shocked expression on her face. "Me?"

"Ma!" Seo chirruped, even more excited. "Ma! Ma! Ma!"

Buffy plastered another grin across her face. Turned back to the picture, and pointed at the next set of squiggles. The bigger set. "And who's that?"

"Da!" said Seo.

"Daddy?" Buffy asked. She pointed downstairs. "Daddy, with his sonic screwdriver and his silly hair?"

Seo said something in rushed baby-speak that Buffy didn't pick up.

"And what's that between them?" asked Buffy, pointing at the little tiny set of squiggles and lines and things.

"Say," said Seo.

That was a new one for Buffy. "What's… 'Say'?" she asked.

Seo looked up at Buffy, hurt. "Say," Seo explained. She hit her baby-hand against her own chest. "Say."

"Oh, that's you!" said Buffy, with a small laugh. That was really smart of her, already working out that she was smaller than her parents. The right proportions — even if the shapes and colors were wrong.

Seo grabbed up another crayon in her tiny fist, and began drawing great big swirls across the sky, above the other squiggles. Her face focused, her eyes concentrating intently.

"And what's that?" Buffy asked. "The sky?"

Seo shook her head.

"Is it… a person?" Buffy guessed.

Seo nodded.

Buffy nestled her hands into her lap. Okay. Twenty questions time. "Is it… Spike?"

Seo shook her head. She reached for another crayon, and added more lines to the big squiggle up above. Lines that were bleeding down into the other squiggles.

"Is it…" Buffy stopped. Voice shaking. "Is it… Grandma? Up in heaven?"

Seo shook her head.

No. Of course not. Seo had no concept of things like heaven, yet.

"Is it Giles?" Buffy asked.

Nope.

"Xander?"

Nu-uh.

"Willow?"

Not her.

"Tara? Anya? Vampires in a cemetery? Daleks aboard a space ship? Anything?" Buffy asked.

Seo shook her head.

She reached for another crayon, and this time, the lines were even more exuberant than before, almost eclipsing the other people she'd drawn.

"Then… who is that?" Buffy asked Seo.

Seo stopped drawing. Looked up at Buffy, as if she were shocked it wasn't completely obvious. Pointed at the red squiggle she'd just drawn across the page, wiping out everyone else drawn upon its surface.

"Lolie," she said.

* * *

"What does she know?!" Buffy demanded of the Doctor, the moment he got out of his ship.

He quickly shut the door to the TARDIS behind him, so Buffy couldn't see inside. But Buffy wasn't looking inside. She was waving a piece of paper in front of his face. One with a lot of random-looking squiggles and scribbles on it.

"What does who know about—?" the Doctor asked.

Buffy shoved the paper in his face. "Me," she said, pointing. "You. Seo." Then pointed to the angry looking swirls lying in wait to smother them all. "And _that_ is Glory."

The Doctor snatched the paper from Buffy. Squinted at it. "What?"

"What does she know about Glory?" Buffy demanded. The panic kept rising, in her voice. "Does she know about the Key? Does she know she's a weapon? Doctor — what if the Monks implanted the weapon thing into her psyche? What if it's instinctive? What if—"

But this was getting them nowhere.

It was time for someone who spoke fluent Baby to handle this.

It was time to find out what Seo really knew.

* * *

"So?" Buffy asked, when the Doctor's conversation with Seo was over.

The Doctor scratched the back of his neck. "She knows nothing, really," he said. "Doesn't know about the Key, doesn't know what she is. Doesn't know Glory's a Hell Goddess or even looking for anything at all. What Seo's drawn, on that paper, is… well, I think it's what she actually sees."

"But the scale!" Buffy insisted. "She got the scale right, for you and me and her. See?" Buffy pointed. "You're all tall, and I'm all short, and she's all baby-like." Buffy then pointed at the enormous cloud encompassing them. "And Glory—"

"Is multi-dimensional," the Doctor said. "That's what she's drawing. A multi-dimensional understanding of what Glory is." He ran a hand through his hair. "Which is odd. Because that's not what _I_ see, when I look at Glory. Not what _you_ see when you look at Glory. So… why's it what _she_ sees?"

Buffy didn't know how to answer this.

"Those Monks might have been aiming to create a Gallifreyan, originally, but the moment they infused those Key energies into her biodata instead of her DNA, they got something else," said the Doctor. "Something unique. Something that'll last across every regeneration."

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked.

"I… don't know," the Doctor admitted. "Don't know much about this Key at all, really. Not what it is, why it's here, or how it works. Or what it's done to her, now. And I certainly don't know what extra features the Monks threw in, when they decided to create a Weapon and not just a Key."

Buffy wasn't sure what to say to this.

"Tell you what," the Doctor proposed. "How bout I find out?"

Buffy blinked. "How?"

"Well," the Doctor replied, pulling on his trench coat, "seems to me that I sent a group of knights on an 800 year fact-finding mission about 'the Key'." He grinned at Buffy. "Think I better track down where they got to, and ask them what they worked out."

* * *

While the Doctor was gone, Buffy tried to do it all herself. Took Seo out on Patrol, the way she used to when Seo was a newborn. Flipping and kicking, the demon darting out of the way. Its talons caught her hair, and she grunted, driving her sword into the demon's shoulder, so it'd let her go.

The demon shrieked.

And Buffy went in for the kill. Slash, and the demon was dead.

Buffy breathed heavily, stepping back after she was done. Examining the kill.

The next day, Buffy was putting away the dishes from the dishwasher, at home, as Willow helped out. Willow was trying to comb Seo's hair, although Seo kept squirming and struggling and protesting.

"Just hold still, Seo," Willow urged her. "Hold—"

Then Willow screamed.

Buffy swung around.

To discover that Seo had just stabbed Willow through the shoulder with a kitchen fork.

And Seo didn't seem to have any idea that it was wrong.

* * *

"Willow's going to be fine," Giles assured Buffy, when the report had come back from the hospital, and Seo was finally asleep. "The doctors said she got lucky. Nothing permanently damaged."

Buffy didn't answer, just kept pacing around the room.

"Buffy, it wasn't your—" Giles began.

"It _was_ my fault," said Buffy. She spun on Giles. "Giles, I did that. The previous night. What happened to Willow — Seo learned it from me."

Giles opened his mouth to protest, but realized there was nothing he could say.

"I can't do this, anymore," said Buffy. "I can't be the Slayer. I'm Seo's mom, I have to start acting like it."

"That's no reason—" Giles began.

"Seo isn't just a Key, Giles," Buffy cut in. "She's a Weapon. To slay, to kill, to fight — that's what she was born for. And if I'm at all like that — even out on Patrol — she'll pick it up."

"Eventually, she will learn that what you do on Patrol isn't how people should act towards one another," said Giles. "When she's older—"

"If she doesn't learn now, none of us are going to survive long enough for her to _be_ older," Buffy insisted. She collapsed onto the couch. "I don't know what Seo is. But I'm pretty sure, if I don't set a good example, she's going to wipe out the world before she turns ten." Buffy shuddered. "Maybe, if I'm a bad enough mom, she'll even enjoy it."

"Buffy, you can't believe that," Giles said.

"Why not?" said Buffy. "I'm the Slayer. I slay stuff that isn't like me. How's that gonna rub off on her?" She slumped in place. "I could turn her into a psychopath. Ruling the world from some sky-castle, making everyone on Earth bow down and worship her. Just because I killed some monsters, when she was a baby."

"Killing monsters is very different from killing people," Giles said. "She'll know that."

"How?" asked Buffy.

"Well, it's fairly clear — monsters aren't human."

"Neither is Seo."

Giles took this in. Didn't answer.

"I don't want my daughter to grow up surrounded by death and darkness," Buffy pleaded with Giles. "I don't want her to grow up a god-killing weapon. I just…" Buffy drifted off, her eyes going unfocused. "I need Seo to learn that life is precious. If she doesn't get that — she'll become the Weapon these Monks wanted her to be."

"And… to do that… you feel you can't be the Slayer?" Giles asked.

Buffy said nothing for a few long moments. Then, in a small voice, "I don't know."

Giles frowned. Nodding. He took off his glasses, rubbed them against his shirt. "How… serious are you, about this?" he asked.

"Ten," said Buffy, with a shrug. She looked down at her lap. "Serious to the amount of ten."

Giles thought the matter over. Then sighed. "There is something. In the Watcher's Diaries. A quest."

"What, you mean, like, find a grail or something?" Buffy asked.

"Not a grail," Giles replied. "Maybe… answers? It'll take a day. Perhaps two."

Buffy thought the matter over. Long and hard. Then shook her head. "I can't. Seo."

"We can look after Seo, ourselves, for a short time," Giles assured her. "We'll be careful, Buffy. I promise. We won't let her hurt us." He put a hand on Buffy's shoulder. "Seo's good inside. I'm sure of it. And it's not wrong to show her that sometimes… she must fight to defend those she loves."

Buffy leaned over, elbows against her knees. Then, at long last, nodded. Deciding… a quest was what she needed.


	58. Chapter 58

Martha's World:

The next time the Master checked in on little Cupcake, he expected her to be sobbing, desperate, and frightened. Or overwhelmed with hatred and anger towards him. Or maybe even desperately trying to strike him down.

What he didn't expect… was this.

Seo walked into the room, her head down. Complying with every command or order given to her by the guards. Her face bent into a frown of intense concentration.

"There's something inside of me," Seo said, very quietly. Very calmly. "Something you should know about. Something dangerous. And I don't think you want to let it out."

The Master examined her, curious. "What? You? Dangerous?" He laughed. "You?!"

"I destroyed a whole universe when I was less than a year old," said Seo.

The laughter died down a little. As the Master… began to realize… she was serious. Deadly serious.

"There's something inside me," said Seo, raising up her head to meet the Master's eyes. "Someone. She's cruel. Evil. Heartless. Could tear a person apart with no effort at all. And feels no guilt, once she's done."

"And I'd care about that… why?" the Master demanded, slightly amused.

"She could rip out your hearts in a second, and then toss them over her shoulder," said Seo. "Drain your mind completely dry. She moves too fast to process. Her every punch too strong for you to imagine. Let her out, and she could grab hold of the universe in no time at all. Worlds would crumble at her feet. Nothing can stop her. No one can take her down." Seo met the Master's eyes with her own. "Except me."

The Master shook his head. "What, you mean the Meyomelae Krvas?" he scoffed. "You think she's hiding away, somewhere deep inside of sweet little harmless Cupcake?"

"It's not Glory, inside of me," said Seo, her voice even. "That's my curse — what my creators did to me. They didn't give me Glory. They gave me something, deep down inside, that is every bit as icy, cold, calculating, and powerful as her." Her eyes fixed on the Master with a hard intensity. "And they made that something… _me_."

The Master couldn't believe what he was hearing. Or why she thought he'd believe it.

"I'm the only thing keeping this other side of me locked away," Seo warned. "And, after all you've done, not easily. If you wake her up… I can guarantee. You will die. And none of your tricks, cunning, mind games, or poisons would be able to stop it."

Just seeing the seriousness on her face, hearing the tone of her voice, while she was chained up and barely able to stand on her own…

The Master broke down with hysterical laughter.

"Oh, that's a good one," the Master said, through guffaws. "You look almost like your father when you do that. What a bluff!"

"It's not a bluff," said Seo.

"Face it, Cupcake," said the Master, composing himself. "You hate me. With a burning passion. If you could have killed me at any time, you'd have done it by now."

Seo looked at him like he was stupid. "No. Not if it meant unleashing her."

"Oh? And why not?" the Master challenged.

"Because if I ever let her out," said Seo, "the world would still be a barren wasteland ruled by an insane, ruthless, unfeeling Time Person. It just wouldn't be _you_."

And something in her voice… made a chill run down the Master's spine. Even though he didn't know why.

Seo glanced out the window, at the Earth waiting down below her. "And they don't know," she added, in a whisper, "how much worse things can get."

* * *

"That Cupcake of yours tried to threaten me," the Master chirruped, strolling into the flight deck. The Doctor was still in his tent, lying around and being uninteresting. The Master rang the bell, irritated. "Wakey-wakey, Doctor! Rise and shine!"

The Doctor painstakingly crawled out of his tent, and the Master grabbed him up and shoved him into his wheelchair.

"As I was saying," the Master continued, "that sweet, innocent, harmless, poorly-constructed little half-breed of yours tried to threaten me, just now. Told me she could destroy me in two seconds, if she wanted to."

The Doctor didn't answer.

"Remember all those times," the Master mused, "when you did that? Told me I was messing around with forces I couldn't control? Same way she just did?" He gave a theatrical sigh. "Ah, those were the days!"

"I was always right," the Doctor muttered.

"In the short term, maybe," said the Master. Grinning at the helpless Doctor, unable to fight back — an eternal prisoner. "But… well… the way I've come to see it, everything in our pasts has just been preparation for this."

Lucy entered the room. Hesitating, in the doorway, as if asking permission to enter. The Master held out a hand, and Lucy walked in. A dark bruise on her cheek.

Stood by the Master, as he held himself tall and poised, so he looked every bit the deity he knew himself to be.

"The end result of our rivalries!" the Master proclaimed. "With me as the Master of all. And you, helpless and old, a pet groveling at my feet."

The Doctor didn't respond to this.

"What can she do against me, Doctor?" said the Master. "What could anyone possibly do? Your legions of former companions have all taken up arms against me, and nearly all of them have fallen. It's only a matter of time before I mop up the last few. And, of course, kill off Martha Jones."

"Leave her alone," the Doctor mumbled.

"Who? Your blessed Saint Martha?" The Master laughed. "Oh, no. No, no, no, Doctor. I know you've got her doing something out there. She's your last hope — and I'm going to crush it." He glanced out the window. "My minions will find her eventually. And once she's dead… there'll be no one left to stop me. I'll truly be a god."

* * *

Cupcake had to suffer, of course. The Master knew that. After all, she'd threatened him. Defied him. Spoken to him like _she_ was the powerful one! Like she was more god-like than _him_!

The Master couldn't let her get away with that.

Time for another round of inflict-physical-and-emotional-agony-on-harmless-l ittle-Cupcake.

This time, the Master had strung her up to a wall of the flight deck of the Valiant, and was proceeding to torture her in front of her father, with the Freak listening in, below.

That was brilliant! It was like… a triple-whammy.

No, a quadruple whammy!

Because the Freak felt terrible for not stopping this, the Doctor felt miserable about what he was doing to both his shameful-excuse-for-a-daughter and the Freak, Seo felt miserable because she was being tortured, and… best of all… it gave the Master a chance to lay into the Doctor about how Seo looked up to Jack, instead of her actual father.

"Forced to look to a Freak for fatherly approval," the Master tutted. Cracking the whip in his hands, as he shook his head. "Whatever will the neighbors think?"

The Doctor looked over at the speakers. "Jack," he said. Smiled, softly. "Thank you."

From the bowels of the Valiant, Jack grinned. "Told you, Doctor," he said, even though the Doctor couldn't hear. "Re-founded Torchwood in your honor. Way you would have wanted."

Tish arrived, to feed Jack his normal meal.

Jack couldn't stomach it, today.

Up on the flight deck of the Valiant, the Master resumed the physical torture. Enjoying the way the Doctor couldn't help himself from wincing, with every smack of whip hitting skin.

Three Toclafane floated into the room.

"Hey, kids," said the Master, not losing a beat in his whipping fun. "Come to watch your Master play with his toys?"

"Lady!" chirruped one of the spheres.

"We like Lady," said another. "She's one of us!"

"One of us!" the three chorused.

Through waves of pain, and a raging, bitter anger on her face, Seo shouted, "Then how do you think the Master's going to treat _you_ , once you're no longer useful, if this is how he treats me?!"

That made the Toclafane stop with their childlike laughter. Suddenly serious.

And the Master stopped with the whip. Having the horrible feeling… that he might have just made a very big mistake.

"You don't honestly believe that!" the Master said to them. He pointed at Seo. "Look at her! The little weakling who dares to defy her Master! She's just an impure blemish on the Gallifreyan race! But you… _you're_ perfect." The Master gave an uneasy laugh. "Nothing alike."

"How?" the Doctor cut in.

The Master turned to him, noticed that a suddenly curious expression had crawled up the Doctor's face, as he studied both the Toclafane and Seo.

"How are you like her?" the Doctor asked. "How are you two similar?"

"They're children," Seo told the Doctor. "Misbehaving children, who don't know their own strength or destructive power. They don't understand that after they destroy the world, there'll be nothing left. I was like that. I know how they feel!"

The Master scoffed. "As if."

He strolled over to the Doctor, dropping the whip to the ground.

"See, you call her your child," the Master explained, nodding at Seo. "I call them mine. That's the connection." He grinned. "Of course, they don't seem to realize just how much of a hodge-podge yours really is. And how much more perfect they are, by comparison."

"I wasn't asking you, I was asking _them_ ," the Doctor said. Fixing his eyes on the Toclafane. "How are you like her?"

The Toclafane swooped through the air, circling around the Doctor.

"It was falling apart, all around us," one sphere said.

"The universe!" said another.

"We remember. She remembers," said a third. "Everything turning to darkness. Everything turning to nothing."

"The end," said the first Toclafane.

"She and us both serve the people who saved us from that," the Toclafane informed the Doctor, in unison.

The Doctor's eyes went wide, as he stared at them.

From down in the depths of the Valiant, Jack heard every word of this. His jaw dropping open, as he realized… what the Toclafane really were.

"Oh, no," said Jack.

Tish seemed confused. "What?"

Up on the flight deck of the Valiant, a look of utter horror and devastation swept across the Doctor's face. A soul-crushing misery deeper than any the Master had seen before.

The Master cracked up.

"See?" said Seo. "They're just children. Refugees from a destroyed reality. They don't know any better. I can help them! I can teach them—"

"Seo, they're not children," the Doctor said.

From the boiler room, chained up and listening in, Jack shook his head.

"Not at all," Jack confirmed.

Tish frowned. "What are they?"

Jack shot Tish a pained, heartbroken stare. "They're us," he confessed. "From the future. They're humans."

Up on the flight deck, the Master just kept laughing. His face fixed in a permanent gloat. His eyes falling on the Doctor, whose devastation and sorrow had somehow grown even deeper.

"So you finally worked it out!" the Master said. "Took you long enough, Doctor." He knocked his fist against the Doctor's head. "Brain not as sharp as it used to be?"

The Doctor opened his mouth to speak, but had no words to say.

"So," the Master announced, his hands gripping the handles of the Doctor's wheelchair. "The big question is… Seo and the Toclafane. Are they anything alike? Anything at all?"

Seo's eyes seemed to plead. To beg the Doctor, say that she _knew_ she could make these Toclafane better.

The Doctor sighed. Then shook his head.

"Should they show her any sympathy?" the Master asked. "For being one of them?"

"Would they show her any, even if they did think that?" the Doctor muttered.

The Master's grin widened. "Good point. Brilliant point!" He gestured at the window. "I think the Earth's answer enough."

This seemed to make the Doctor even sadder than before.

Seo looked on, confused. "But… they _are_ like me. I can make them better. I've been getting through to them!" She struggled in her chains, but the chains didn't give. "Toclafane. Am I your friend?"

"Lady is our friend!" said the Toclafane, swirling closer to her.

"We like Lady!" cried one of the spheres.

"Lady's one of us!" agreed another.

"Seo, don't," the Doctor begged her. "Stop. They're nothing like you. It's not going to work."

Seo looked between the metal spheres and the Doctor. "I can't believe that," she said.

The Master seemed highly gleeful at this. Sprung up straight, clapping his hands in joy. "Ooh! She's one who learns by demonstration, then?" the Master chirruped. His eyes gleamed. "Well. In that case. Let's educate our little Cupcake."

"Master…" the Doctor warned.

But the Master was having far too much fun to stop, now. "Toclafane," he announced to them. He pointed over at Seo. "This 'Lady'. Your friend. Long as you don't kill her… long as she can recover… anything you want to do to her, it's fine!" His eyes narrowed. "She's all yours."

"Hurray!" shouted the Toclafane, their blades extending from their bodies, the spikes emerging from their midsections.

As they descended.

And did the one thing they'd wanted to do to her since they'd first met her.

They slashed and scraped and tore at her. Clawed and dug at her skin, wrenching screams from her mouth. They giggled at her pain, rejoiced at her thrashing, reveled in her spilled blood upon the floor.

It took the Master a while before he decided it was enough, and waved the Toclafane away.

Cupcake was barely conscious. Lying, limp, in her chains.

"They've been pleading with me to do that since you first showed up here," said the Master, leaning down to stare right into her eyes. " _I've_ been stopping them."

Cupcake stared out at the Toclafane, around her, a look of complete and utter betrayal crossing her face. And the Master watched, as, slowly but surely… one last vestige of hope inside of her burned out.

Forever.


	59. Chapter 59

Seo's World:

Spike entered Warren's house, looking over the robot he'd ordered from Warren, a short time ago. A sex-bot. Of Buffy. Now standing, before him, with a flouncy skirt and flowing blond hair.

"Some say it's better than the real thing," Warren offered.

Spike considered. "Well, she looks good, but what about the rest? A little talk, a little walk, perhaps a zippy cartwheel…?"

"Hey, she's great," Warren said, nervously. "Got everything you asked for — the extra programming, tons of real world knowledge, the profiles you gave me about her family and friends—"

The Buffy-bot's eyes opened, and fixed on Spike. She beamed a plastic beam. "Spike!" she cried. "Oh, Spike!"

Then pulled him in for a passionate kiss.

By the time the kiss was over, Spike managed to squeak only, "She'll do."

* * *

"No, I've worked it out," said Glory. Her hand against her head. "Those Monky boys, they knew I'd figure out who their Key was, sooner or later. They made it someone I can't see."

"But surely, all exultant, wondrous Glorificus, you can see all!" Murk offered.

"You are divine," Jinx added. "Omnipotent. Om—"

"Yeah, and if all you have for me by the end of this is praises, we're screwed!" Glory snapped. She collapsed onto the divan. "Oh, why did I have to tear up that time machine? Then I'd have a thousand chances to get it right!"

She knew why.

She'd thought the Key was in her grasp. She thought it'd be easy.

She didn't realize that the Monks had been this smart about hiding it.

"I can't see her," said Glory. "And if you midgets are anything to go by, you can't see her, either. Long as she doesn't call attention to herself, none of us will ever be able to find her. She could be standing right next to us, and we wouldn't even notice she was there."

"Then what do we do, oh excellent supremeness?" asked one of the minions.

Glory thought it over. A small smile touching her lips. "The Monks gave her defenses against me and you and probably everyone else on our side," she said. "So all we have to do is find someone they never thought we'd get working for us. And convince _them_ to hand her over."

The minions' eyes lit up.

"The Slayer and the Time Lord are hiding her somewhere," Glory decided. "With one of the Slayer's friends. So find her friends. Everyone she meets up with, regularly. Everyone she drops in on, at all hours. Whoever's hiding my Key — it'll be the one person the Slayer has more contact with than anyone else." Glory turned to her minions. "You find that someone. And bring them here. We'll see how long it takes before they agree to turn the brat over to us."

"At once, your holy Glorificus!" said the minions.

* * *

With Buffy away, Willow out of commission, and Tara finally proving to be the one person who could calm Seo down without risking decapitation, it wound up being left to Xander and Anya to do the actual Patrol.

They stalked through the cemetery. Stakes out. Eyes alert.

"Hello!" said a familiar voice from their left.

Xander and Anya turned, to discover…

"Buffy?" asked Xander.

She was skipping through the cemetery, wearing a flouncy skirt, humming and twirling her stake in her fingers. She smiled. "Xander!" she said. She turned to Anya. "And Anya! How's your money?"

"Fine," said Anya, not noticing anything weird about this. "Thanks."

"You're back early," Xander remarked. "How was the whole vision quest thing?"

"I don't understand that question, but thank you for asking!" said Buffy. "You're my friend and a carpenter."

Xander looked her up and down. "Uh… are you sure you're all right?"

Just then, Spike burst out of a cluster of trees and raced up to Buffy. "Hey, there! Wait up!"

Buffy turned. Delighted. "It's Spike!" she cried. "And he's wearing the coat!"

Spike glanced nervously around at the others. "Yes, well, listen, Buffy. I think…"

"Can I feel your handsome—?" Buffy began, sidling up to him.

Spike pulled her away, before she could finish. "Thanks for the help, you two, but… Buffy and I can handle this Patrol, ourselves." He made a shooing gesture at Anya and Xander. "You just… toddle on home."

Xander looked suspiciously between Buffy and Spike. "Buffy?"

"Yes! Spike and I will do this alone," Buffy confirmed, chirpily. "It's okay."

Xander and Anya looked at one another. But, a little reluctantly, agreed.

And headed off.

They didn't even notice they'd passed Glory's minions, hiding in the shadows, watching.

* * *

Spike turned to the Buffy-bot.

"Right, listen, Buffy," Spike informed the robot, slowly and carefully, constantly checking around himself, just in case. "If we're going to do this thing, we do it in secret. You got that?"

"Yes, Spike!" chirruped the Buffy-bot. Her eyes scanning him in her conventional robotic way. "Do you want to do it, now? After all… Boyfriendish isn't around."

Spike's eyes glowed. "Glad to hear it."

And from the shadows of their hiding spot, the two minions leaned down and whispered to one another. Then… took off, into the night.

* * *

"You know," said Xander, "Buffy seemed… kind of… off."

"Well, her mom died and her daughter's turning into a psychopathic killer," Anya replied, with a shrug. "You can't blame her for acting weird."

Xander sighed. "I guess you're…" He stopped. Turned to Anya. "You know, she never even mentioned Seo."

Anya turned to him. Realizing that he was right.

They both ran back to where they'd left Spike and Buffy. Frantically looking around, trying to work out what was going on. But neither Buffy nor Spike were there.

"I guess she went—" Xander started.

Then stopped. As a loud grunt cut him off.

Xander and Anya exchanged a look. Then advanced forwards, to look beyond a patch of trees. They both froze, mouths falling open, as they took in the scene before them.

Buffy having sex with Spike, right there, in the cemetery.

"Oh, Spike!" Buffy cried, in ecstasy. "You're the big bad! You're the big, big, big bad!"

* * *

Willow's shoulder had been bandaged up, and she was on painkillers, but she still seemed about as okay as someone stabbed in the shoulder by a super-baby could be.

Or… someone stabbed by a super-baby, and then confronted with the bombshell that Xander and Anya had just dropped.

"You're kidding," said Tara.

"Not kidding," said Xander. "Saw it. Right in the cemetery. Spike. Having sex. With Buffy."

Willow and Tara exchanged a worried look.

"I knew she and Boyfriendish were fighting, but… I had no idea it was this bad," said Willow. "I always thought she kinda liked him."

"Nope! The first moment he leaves, she's boinking Spike!" Anya said.

"How many times has this happened?" asked Tara. "I mean, is this just since Buffy's mom died? Or… has this been going on since they first got together, and the Monks rewrote our memories to think that _he_ was being a jerk to _her_ , when, actually, _she_ was being a jerk to _him_?"

None of them had any idea.

"It's got to stop," said Willow. She touched her shoulder, tentatively, and winced. "If Buffy and the Doctor don't raise Seo together, there's no telling what she could turn into."

"Yeah, definitely with you on the stopping thing," said Xander. "Right away."

* * *

"There you are!" the Doctor said, with a grin, approaching the Knights of Byzantium. He shoved his hands into his pockets. "You know, for a group of people running about the 21st century dressed as medieval knights, you are remarkably hard to find."

The knights looked up from where they had all gathered around a great big campfire. Then knelt down before the Doctor.

"None of that," the Doctor said, sitting down on one of the logs by the fire. "We're all friends, here. Although…" He raised an eyebrow at them, "…haven't been trying to murder any more children, right?"

They shook their heads.

"Brilliant!" the Doctor replied, with a grin. "Then we'll get along splendidly."

"Why have you returned, Doctor?" General Gregor asked.

The Doctor leaned over, eyes leveled at Gregor. "I want you to tell me," he said, in a low voice, "about the Key."

* * *

"You both feel pain," the spirit of Sineya told a confused Buffy, whilst jumping around a bonfire. "But the Slayer — and her offspring — forge strength from pain. You do. So will she."

Buffy nodded.

"You must teach her," said Sineya, "what you have learned. To love. To give. To forgive. To risk the pain. It is your nature. Make it hers."

"How?" said Buffy. "How can I be a good mom and the Slayer at the same time?"

"You will teach her through your love," said Sineya. "Your gift."

Buffy frowned. "Huh? What do you mean, gift? What gift?"

"Death will be your gift to her," said Sineya.

* * *

Xander was off to the cemetery to confront Buffy, when he saw a whole bunch of those Glory minion things carrying Spike out of his crypt, bound and gagged.

"The Key has certainly been here," said one of the minions. Revealing a bunch of kids' toys. "We found these."

Xander tried to sneak after them, but before he could get too far, was stopped by Buffy. Who seemed extremely concerned with figuring out where Spike went.

Xander tried to shush her, but when he turned around, again, he found that the troll-minion-things had vanished.

Damn.

"Buff," said Xander. "Those guys. They're looking for Seo. And they just carted Spike off. What do they want him for?"

"They took Spike!" said Buffy. "We have to go rescue him!"

"No, first, we move Seo," said Xander, grabbing her by the wrist. "Then, when we've finished prying knives out of our vital organs from her most recent temper tantrum, we can deal with Spike."

"Seo," Buffy said. "She's adorable. And her blood definitely _wouldn't_ taste good on pancakes."

Xander looked back at Buffy. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I will be," Buffy assured him. "When we rescue Spike."

* * *

"The Key is energy," Gregor explained. "It is almost as old as the Abomination, although where it comes from and who created it is a mystery. It resonates at a dimensional frequency beyond normal human perception. In fact, only those outside reality can see the Key's true nature. And, when activated at exactly the right time, in exactly the right place, we know the Key's power will be absolute."

"At which point it'll cause complete dimensional collapse," the Doctor agreed. "Got that bit. But _how_ will Glory activate her?"

"At the appropriate time, the child will be strapped down, and ceremonially bled," Gregor replied. "The release of her blood will create a gigantic portal—"

"Linking every dimension and reality together," the Doctor muttered. He sighed. Ran a hand through his hair. "Just dimensions? Or time and space, as well?"

"Everything," said Gregor. "Every gateway will open. The walls separating realities and times and places will crumble. Dimensions will bleed together. Order will be overthrown and the universe will tumble into chaos. Darkness. Death for all."

The Doctor winced. "I see."

"And once opened," Gregor said, "the only way to close it, again, would be the final release of all energies inside the Key. The child's death."

Which, in Seo's case, would mean having to kill her 13 times over.

"And what about the Key, itself?" the Doctor asked. "You've been searching for it for a while, yes?"

"Yes," Gregor agreed. "And so have the Monks of the Order of Dagon. But the Monks found the Key, first. Believed they could use its powers for the forces of light." He scoffed. "The fools!"

The Doctor seemed interested in this. "How?"

Gregor leaned in, closer. His voice lowering, a hair. "They wished to create… a vessel for the Key. A consciousness, not quite human, which could manipulate the Key energies, voluntarily. One who could fight back and destroy all. Even the Abomination."

And Gallifreyan physiology, adapted across enough dimensions, probably _could_ serve the purpose Gregor had described.

"What's more," Gregor continued, "they planned to make this vessel a child."

"Why?"

"To keep the Key pure and innocent, so they claimed," said Gregor. "Not realizing… innocence is ignorance. Small-mindedness." He shook his head. "Can you think of anything more terrifying? The power to tear apart the universe — placed in the hands of a child!"

"No, I can't," the Doctor muttered.

And they'd given it to a baby.

His baby.

"The child you entrusted to the Slayer," said Gregor. "You know what she's called?" He raised his eyebrows. "She's called Death. The End of All. The Coming of Darkness. The Vanquisher of Life."

"Called that… by whom?" the Doctor asked.

Gregor looked up at the sky. "Forces beyond our understanding, Doctor."

The Doctor nodded. Slowly.

"Have you determined a means of killing her, yet?" Gregor asked.

The Doctor stared out into the fire. Said nothing.

"If she does not die now, she must die later," Gregor said. "You know this."

The Doctor shook his head. "Oh, General Gregor of the Knights of Byzantium," he sighed, "you have no idea just how complicated this really is."

Gregor looked at him, curiously.

"Doesn't matter," the Doctor told him. "Taking care of it. Not about to let reality shatter, and all that. Just… quick question. How much time do I have left?"

"Only the Abomination knows," Gregor replied.

The Doctor blew a breath out of his cheeks. "And, meanwhile, any moment the probability of that portal opening exceeds a certain number," he muttered, "might have exactly the same effect. For us, at least."

He got up, shook Gregor's hand.

"Thank you," he said. "You might have just saved reality as we know it."


	60. Chapter 60

Martha's World:

Seo was alone.

Didn't know how long it had been since anyone had checked on her. Since anyone had spoken to her. Since any sound had issued from outside her cupboard. Or even since anyone had given her any food.

It was as if this entire section of the Valiant had been sealed off. No one went near her. No footsteps. No sounds. No Toclafane. No signs of life, at all.

No food. No water. No nothing.

Seo had stockpiled some food and water, herself. Squirrel away a bit of every meal, just in case something like this happened. But soon, even that supply dried up.

The drugs kept coming. The poisons. Pumped into the air of her tiny little cupboard, regularly, keeping her weak. Unable to fight back.

She tried, anyways.

When she first noticed that she'd been almost entirely abandoned. She'd tried doing everything she could think of, to get out. If only to find some food. But the Master had learned from his past mistakes. Her prison really was impenetrable, this time — particularly when every instinct and mental process inside her head felt scrambled and messed up.

Had the Master finally decided to kill her?

Or was this another of the Master's games? Forcing Jack and her father to watch behind the glass, while she slowly starved to death?

Or… was the Master planning something worse than anything he'd put her through, before? And this was his way of softening her up?

Seo curled into a tight ball. Trying to think. But every second hunger gnawed away at her, more and more, she found… she couldn't. Her head ached with lack of food. The world spun around her. Her throat felt dry. The air grew colder and colder, and she shivered.

Then the door to Seo's cupboard opened.

Seo squinted at the towering figure who'd opened the door. Lucy Saxon, lavishly dressed, now sporting a series of nasty bruises on her face. Her eyes were red, from crying. Her lip split. Her hair a mess.

"You," Lucy spat.

Seo reached out to Lucy, her whole body shaking. "Help me."

Lucy ignored Seo's plea. Her eyes weren't just angry, they were hysterical. Her whole body trembled with something approaching desperation.

"This is your fault!" Lucy said, her voice wavering, as if she were near tears. "Harry loved me. He cared about me. Then you showed up. And I can't have his child. And now… now… he's…" She swallowed, hard. Her free hand going up to her face, to touch one of the bruises.

Seo didn't know what to say.

"What are you two doing, in this part of the ship?!" Lucy choked out, stifling a sniffle. "Are you sleeping with him? Is that why he's locked you out of anyone's sight? Is this him lusting after his own species?"

A deep shudder overtook Seo.

No.

No!

Was this what the starvation and depravation and isolation was all in preparation for? Was this what the Master was planning to do to her, next? Was… this…?

NO!

"He doesn't love you, you know!" Lucy snapped. "You're… just… like a sex-bot to him! You might give him a baby, but he'll never love you!"

"No," Seo breathed. Wanting to throw up at the very idea. "No, please, no!"

"Yes," Lucy snapped. "It's _me_ he loves. Not _you_. And if you don't keep your hands off of him, I'll… I'll…" Lucy hesitated. Then broke down, completely, into hysterical, terrified, miserable sobs. Spun around, and ran off.

Leaving the door open.

Seo felt her head spinning. She had to get out of here. Needed to hide.

Somewhere. Anywhere.

Just run.

Run!

She staggered to her feet. Pushing herself forwards with uneasy, uneven steps, as she raced along the Valiant's corridors.

Unable to navigate. Her whole body and psyche so messed up, she could barely tell up from down. Just hide. Get away. Don't let him find you!

She stumbled onto the flight deck.

Outside, through the windows, she could see it was night. The whole flight deck was dimmed, the lights almost completely extinguished. The tent at the far end rustled, and a very old, tired-looking man climbed out.

Her father.

"Seo," he said, softly. He sounded worried. Concerned.

She ran to him. Collapsed in front of him, as an entire flood of her thoughts and feelings and worries and terrors burst out.

The Doctor listened. Then put an arm around her, helped dry her tears. Gave her some of his own water and as much food as she could manage. All the while reassuring her in his calm, soothing voice.

"Shortly after you were locked away, the Master's forces caught the last member of Jack's Torchwood team," the Doctor explained.

Ianto.

"The Master's been obsessed with… dealing with him, this past week," said the Doctor. "He probably just forgot about you. No plans. No schemes. No need to worry."

Seo still shuddered.

The Doctor put his arms around her, pulling her into an embrace. Seo returned it, eyes closed. She'd forgotten what it was like, to be this close to someone like her. Someone she shared something with, on a deep level — just as she had shared with Mom.

Her father.

(And while she was here, what was happening to Ianto? Was this what she was reduced to — someone finding comfort, hiding away and doing nothing, while the Master tortured her friend?)

"Why don't you hate him?" Seo said. Feeling a wave of anger and hatred sweeping over her, even just thinking about the Master. Everything he'd done to her, everything he'd done to Jack, everything he'd done to her father and the Joneses and the Earth. The way he'd killed Mom…

"You want to kill him," the Doctor observed. "Don't you?"

Seo didn't say anything. Didn't even trust words, anymore.

The Doctor pulled out of the embrace, looking deep into Seo's eyes. "Remember," he said, "what your mum said. What she believed in. Love is stronger than hate. Giving stronger than taking. Forgiveness stronger than revenge."

Love. Give. Forgive. Risk the pain.

"I can't," said Seo. She clung to her father's hands. "I hate him more than I've hated anyone, before, and… and…"

"And that makes you scared," the Doctor observed.

"No," Seo retorted, automatically. Then, after a few moments of silence between them, slumped. "Yes."

The Doctor squeezed her hand in his old, leathery one. His eyes shining, as they met hers. "Be scared," he told her. "Be brave. Be strong. And remember…" He smiled. "For what you've done, up here. I'm proud of you."

Seo hugged her father, again. Tightly. Her eyes closed.

She was so tired and worn out and exhausted, she didn't even notice as she fell asleep, still hugging him.

* * *

The Doctor knew he had to move her. Hide her. Knew what would happen, if the Master discovered her, here.

But he had time.

The Master was busy with Jack's Torchwood friend, and Francine would be along, early in the morning, to refill the Doctor's dog bowl and water. In this aged body, he was too weak to move Seo, himself, but Francine would be able to move her. The Master would never even know she'd been here.

The Doctor had never slept much, before his time on the Valiant.

But now, spending his spare hours painstakingly integrating himself with the matrices of the Archangel Network, and already starting off with the energy level of an old man, the Doctor was tired. Very, very tired.

And, curling around the child, protectively, he fell asleep.

* * *

The Master would never forget the look on the Freak's face, as Ianto Jones finally died. After a week of watching his lover go through utter agony and torment, torture and misery, the Freak had just snapped. Broken down, completely.

The most fun the Master had had all month!

Still. Now that Ianto was gone, it was onto the next thing. Time to check in on pet doggy-Doctor, check in with the ADC's on the command deck, and discover if his minions had made any progress getting their hands on Martha Jones.

He strolled into the flight deck.

"Wakey, wakey, Gandalf!" the Master chirruped. He waved his blood-soaked hands in the air. "Guess who I just… finished…?"

He trailed off, as he saw the sight in front of him.

The Doctor — _his_ pet, who should be experiencing nothing but misery and humiliation and subservience — cuddled up with Cupcake, both seeming to gain comfort from the other's presence.

Their eyes opened, at the Master's voice.

They froze. Terror on their faces. Both seeming to realize they'd made a big mistake.

Both dreading the punishment they knew would result.


	61. Chapter 61

Seo's World:

"But Spike doesn't know where Seo is," said Tara, when Xander and Buffy had returned from the cemetery, and the Scoobies had heard about Glory abducting Spike. "He doesn't even know that Buffy departed on this quest thing in the first place. So… maybe Glory's taking Spike isn't so bad."

"Buffy says he knows Seo's the Key," said Willow. "And she's always crawling around his crypt."

"You're a witch and recently gay," Buffy informed Willow, with a smile.

Willow and Tara exchanged a 'huh' look, then turned back to Buffy.

"We have to save Spike," Buffy insisted, noticing that everyone was looking at her. "I need to find him."

Everyone looked at everyone else. They couldn't tell if Buffy was just saying this because of the affair thing, or if Buffy knew something they didn't.

Either was likely.

But with Buffy in this particular state of mind…

"Look, Buffy, you're our friend," said Willow. "And I know grief can make you do crazy things. But this whole… sleeping with Spike thing…"

"I didn't sleep with Spike," Buffy assured Willow, grinning. "I had sex with Spike. I'm sorry if it bothers you. You're my best friend."

"I am," Willow agreed. "And I always will be, too, no matter what. But I don't like seeing you do something I know you're going to regret, later."

"Look, we get that this is a really hard time for you," said Xander. "If this was a mistake… you know, just this one time… tell us and—"

"It wasn't one time," Buffy replied, not seeming to feel any remorse. "It was lots of times. And lots of different ways." She reached for a sketch pad and pencil. "I could make sketches!"

"No!" said the Scoobies, grabbing the sketch pad out of her hands.

"Buffy," said Tara. "Tension in your relationship is normal. But… having an affair—"

"With Spike, of all people!" Xander added.

"—that's really serious," Tara said. She cringed. "And also _really_ mean."

"No, it's not," Buffy chirruped. "Spike likes it. He says my failure to be turned on in my relationship just makes me more hungry for his man-meat, when we—"

"Woah, woah, do _not_ go there!" Xander interrupted, holding up his hands and retreating.

"I don't understand where you don't want me to go," said Buffy, confused.

Willow gave a long sigh. "Buffy," she said, looking into her eyes, trying to make her understand. "The Doctor's given up his memories for you. His ship was destroyed saving you and Seo. He doesn't have a home planet. Doesn't remember any of his friends. You've made it so… you're… kind of all he's got."

"The Doctor is lame," said Buffy. "He has stupid hair, and doesn't nail me properly, like I bloody deserve." She beamed, even more brightly. "And when he doesn't satisfy me, and I'm very hot and aroused and have no way to get over it, I go to Spike. That's one of the programs Spike has me use a lot."

Everyone looked at everyone else. As they realized… this affair thing must have been going on for a really long time, now.

"Wow," said Anya, impressed. "So Buffy's been two-timing the guy since she hooked up with him, using his lack of memories to get him to stand guard over a kid that isn't technically his—"

"And get really beat up defending her," Willow added.

"And lose his ship," Tara put in.

"And — in the meantime — all of our memories have been rewritten so we think _he's_ been the one cheating on _her_ ," Anya continued. She broke into applause. "You know, as a former vengeance demon, I'm really impressed. Really! It'd take even me a lot of effort to make him as emotionally devastated as you're about to."

"You used to be a demon," Buffy said, to Anya. "And you like money and date Xander."

"Buffy—" Willow began.

"We have to find Spike!" Buffy insisted. "We have to get him back. That's the most important thing!"

"You guys, this whole affair-thing aside," said Tara, "if she thinks it's this important to get Spike back, she's got to know something about Glory's plans that we don't."

"Seo trusts Spike, right?" said Willow. She cringed. "If Glory recruits Spike to her side, to lure Seo into a trap…"

They all exchanged a worried look.

"We gotta kill him," Xander said. "No choice." Turned to Buffy. "We'll stop by your place. Stock up weapons." He turned to Willow. "Can you fight, or…?"

"I can still do magic," said Willow, hand on her shoulder. "And if you're up against a goddess, you're going to need magic." She glanced back at Tara. "You okay looking after Seo?"

Tara nodded.

"And if Seo tries to kill you, while we're gone, you can just hide in the cupboard until she toddles away!" Anya said, as they all turned and headed off. "Bye bye!"

* * *

The minions dragged Spike into Glory's luxury apartment, bound and gagged. Glory looked up. Stared at him.

"This one, your Excellency," said one of the minions. "He protects the Key."

Glory sighed in utter exasperation, leaping up to her feet. "I told you to bring me one of her _friends_ ," she said. Grabbed up Spike by his ropes. " _This_ is a vampire. There is no way that a _Vampire Slayer_ is gonna entrust her daughter to a _vampire_." She smacked Spike up the side of his head. "Can't even brain suck a vampire." She threw him down to the ground. "He's completely useless."

"But your glorious wondrous graciousness," said one of the minions, "this is the one the Slayer visits more than any other. At all hours. And he said that she and him were concealing something in secret."

Spike struggled to speak, through the gag. But the words were unintelligible.

"And we found these in his crypt," said another minion, showing the children's toys. "We are certain, oh exultant Glorificus. He harbors the Key."

Glory suddenly seemed interested. "Does he?" She walked over to Spike. Grabbed him up off the floor, looking deep into his eyes. Then laughed. "Oh, isn't that just like a Time Lord? Hiding the Key in the one place we'd never look — a vampire's crypt!"

Spike muttered something through his gag that sounded like, "Sod off."

Glory turned to the minions. "String him up," she demanded, as they raced to do her bidding. She rubbed her hands together. "Let's see how long this takes."

* * *

The Scoobies all raced into Buffy's house. Buffy looking around herself, interested.

"I live here," said Buffy.

Xander, meanwhile, clambered over to the weapons chest, and opened it. "To deal with Spike, we're gonna need the heavy stuff," he said, pulling out crossbows and axes.

"Those are my weapons," Buffy announced. "Give me something big and sharp!"

Everyone looked over at Buffy.

"Uh, where are we going, Buffy?" asked Willow. "Where _is_ Glory?"

A pause.

"I don't know!" Buffy insisted. Looking around herself. "Why are you all staring at me?"

They all turned back to the weapons chest.

"It's okay, Buffy, you don't need to know everything," said Xander. "No pressure. Just… with what you just told us about the affair and everything, we're… just…"

"Trying to figure out why you've suddenly turned from a caring, supportive person into a cold, heartless bitch," Anya explained, cheerily.

Xander cringed. "I… wasn't going to phrase it exactly like that."

"We have to rescue Spike!" Buffy announced. "That's the most important thing!"

"More important than protecting your daughter?" said Xander.

"Seo is the Doctor's daughter," said Buffy. "The Doctor is lame. And he's a manipulative git!"

Everyone looked at everyone else.

"Buffy, you have more weapons upstairs," said Willow. "Why don't you get them?"

"Oh, and change into something more… fighty!" Anya agreed.

Buffy grinned at them. "I can do that!" She turned, and raced up the stairs. "I'll be right back!"

The moment that Buffy was out of sight, the Scoobies all looked at one another.

"Okay, you guys, she's totally lost it," said Xander. "I mean, she'd rather save Spike than save Seo."

"She's going through a hard time," said Willow. "Give her a chance to—"

"And if we give her long enough to deal with it, herself," said Xander, "Seo will be dead."

Willow thought a long time. "Okay, well… when Buffy was drugged out on psychedelic beer," she said, "and none of us could snap her out of it — the Doctor made her regain her senses. So maybe… he can find a way to do that again!"

"Which would mean… we'd have to tell him," Xander pointed out, "about the affair."

For a few seconds, no one said anything.

"We gotta break it to him gently," Willow said. "And… he'll be upset, but… he'll still help her, right? He's big on the forgiveness thing."

"Except when he gets angry enough to blow up planets!" Anya chimed in.

The door burst open, and in raced the Doctor, coattails flying behind him, hand already running through his hair. An extremely troubled expression on his face.

He stopped, as he noticed the Scoobies.

"Oh, brilliant, you're here!" said the Doctor. "Where's Elizabeth? I need… to…" The Doctor then noticed the weapons in their hands. And raised a reprimanding eyebrow at them.

"Hey, Doctor," said Xander, uneasily, putting down the weapons on the couch, "we've got to talk to you."

"Later," the Doctor dismissed, beginning to rush up the stairs. "Need to find Elizabeth. Important. Might not—"

Anya grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back downstairs.

"Actually… it's _about_ Buffy," said Willow, with a cringe.

The Doctor now seemed worried. Absorbed: weapons, no Buffy, no Tara, and the expressions on the rest of the Scoobies' faces. Deduced the situation, immediately.

"Glory's got Elizabeth," the Doctor guessed. "You lot hid Seo with Tara. While you went off to rescue her." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Brilliant." He pointed at the weapons. "You really think those would work on a twelfth dimensional being?"

"It's not that," said Willow.

"It's just… have you considered that… maybe… Buffy's not as into you as you thought?" Xander asked.

The Doctor looked at the lot of them. Then shook his head. "I don't have time for this," he said, trying to race up the stairs, again.

They caught him, and dragged him back down.

"Buffy's been going through a really hard time," Willow said. "And she—"

"Sorry, could we stop with the domestics?" the Doctor said, trying to free himself from their clutches, as they dragged him into the living room. "Time and space are unstable. The universe is in danger of shattering apart. This entire reality could turn to nothing. You understand what that means? No up, no down. No time. No space. Nothing!"

"Look, Doctor," Xander tried to explain. "Grief can make people do stupid things, sometimes, and—"

Just then, Buffy emerged by the front door. A frown on her face, as she took in the scene before her. "Okay." She put down her bag. "I guess that means whatever info you got from the Ren-Fair-Maniacs… the rest of the gang didn't like it."

"Buffy," said Xander, stepping forward. "This has gone on long enough. You have to tell him."

"Tell him what?" asked Buffy. Her eyes went wide. "Seo?"

"She's with Tara," said Willow. "They're both fine. This isn't about her. It's—"

"Elizabeth, I've worked this all out — we're rapidly approaching a probability lattice," the Doctor cut in, changing the topic to one that he felt actually mattered. "The moment we go over the edge, it won't matter what the end result is. Everything everywhere will collapse."

Buffy tried to take this in. Then shook her head. "Huh?"

"The Key will create a portal," said the Doctor. "Great big portal. Something in Seo's blood will activate it, at a particular point in time and space. Glory is planning to slowly bleed Seo to death, through every one of her regenerations, in order to release the Key energy." He managed to pry himself away from the Scoobies.

"And the moment that portal opens, goodbye universe?" Buffy asked.

"Forget moment it opens," the Doctor said. "Moment we walk off the probability lattice, this whole reality's going to shatter. And if it ever does open, we'd never be able to—"

"Buffy's been having sex with Spike!" Anya shouted through them.

Everyone went deathly silent. Suddenly staring at Anya.

"Well, someone had to say it!" Anya insisted.

Buffy just stared at Anya, completely at a loss. "Wait, who's been whatting how with huh?"

"That's denial," Anya assured the Doctor. "That comes before anger."

"I am not having sex with Spike!" Buffy shouted.

"Anger," Anya told the Doctor.

"No, seriously, I'm not—" Buffy started.

"Buffy, we saw you," said Xander. "At the cemetery. And when we talked to you, after, you said you'd been doing this for months."

"What?!" Buffy cried.

The Doctor looked back at the weapons. Raising an eyebrow at the Scoobies. "And you were prepared to kill him over this?"

Buffy turned to the Doctor. "Okay, you can't seriously think I've been having sex with Spike. I mean, Spike? Seriously?"

"Doesn't matter," the Doctor insisted — mostly to himself — as he headed towards the basement. "Not important, at the moment."

Buffy raced after him, grabbed him by the arm, and dragged him to a halt. "No, wait! This is _very_ important!" she said. "I am not having sex with—"

"Elizabeth, pretty soon, there isn't even going to be a universe around, anymore," the Doctor said, whirling around to face her. "Honestly — have a sense of priorities."

"But I'm not boinking Spike!" Buffy shouted.

"Who's boinking Spike?" came a chirrupy voice from the stairs. "Spike's mine!"

Everyone looked over, to find a perfect replica of Buffy descending the staircase.

Their jaws dropped.

"Oh, my God," said Buffy.

"So say all of us," Xander muttered.

The Buffy-bot arrived at the bottom of the steps, pointing at Buffy. "You look just like me!" Then, confidentially, "We're very pretty."

The Doctor put his hands into his pockets, shaking his head. Said nothing.

"So… they're… both Buffy?" Xander guessed.

"No," said Buffy. She pointed at the other her. "That's a robot." She fumed. "You guys couldn't tell me apart from a robot?"

"Spike's, if we're lucky," the Doctor said, scanning the robot with his sonic. "Or someone else's, if we're not — some alien group, out there, searching for a biological super-weapon who can…" He checked the readings. Made a disgusted face. "Nope. Definitely Spike's."

The robot turned to the Doctor. "Hello, Doctor. You're my Boyfriendish and you save the universe in a blue box. But you don't satisfy me. That's why, whenever you don't give me what I need, I go to Spike. So he can ravage me the way I deserve."

The Doctor was at a complete loss for words at this.

" _That's_ what turns Spike on?!" Buffy hid her face in her hands. "I so didn't want to know that!"

"You know, if this whole cheating thing is just one of Spike's fantasies," said Willow, "that kind of explains a lot."

"Uh, don't you mean, if this is Spike's fantasy, that's seriously creepy?" said Xander. "Not to mention—"

"People! Friends of mine!" the Buffy-bot interrupted. "You're forgetting the important thing! Glory's kidnapped Spike and she is going to harm him!"

The Doctor and Buffy both stared at the Buffy-bot.

Then at each other.

"Seo trusts Spike," said Buffy. "He'd make the perfect trap."

"Glory can't see Seo," the Doctor agreed. "Spike can. And given how he tried to sell us all out to Adam last year…"

They both grimaced.

"Yeah, we were basically at that conclusion, ourselves," said Xander. "But we don't know where Glory is, or—"

"She lives near where I killed that snake monster," said Buffy. She grabbed up an axe from the couch, then took the Doctor's hand, and yanked open the front door. "We've got to get Spike out of there."

"Yeah, that's why the weapons," said Xander, picking his up, again. "I mean, we can't stop Spike unless we kill—"

"No killing!" the Doctor and Buffy shouted back over their shoulders, as they raced off into the night.

The Doctor grinned down at her, as they ran. "You, too, now?"

Buffy sighed. "There are some gifts I refuse to give."


	62. Chapter 62

Martha's World:

Seo's punishment was that the Master finally, brutally forced his way into her mind.

Tearing past mental defenses, sweeping through her thoughts and memories with a cold, unfeeling impartiality. Seo struggled. Clawed at him, both inside and outside her own mind. Tried to push and shove and fight.

But it was no use.

All her natural mental defenses were set up for higher dimensional beings. The Master was too primitive to set them off. Too clever to be put off by any mental barrier she constructed, herself.

He knew the structure of her mind better than she did. Found shortcuts and alternate pathways she didn't even know existed.

Domination. Humiliation. Rubbing her own helplessness in her face.

It was all Seo could do to keep him from the most important things. The few bits of information she didn't want him to find. Would never allow him to find.

Martha's plan.

Dawn's existence.

After it was over, he jerked free from her mind with a violence that made her whimper, then dropped her to the ground.

She scuttled away from him.

"So…" said the Master, chuckling. "Was it as good for you as it was for me?"

Seo leveled dark eyes at him. She wouldn't let him touch her. Not again.

"I hate you," she hissed.

The Master outright laughed, his face utterly gleeful. "Oh, that was obvious, Cupcake," he said. "I didn't have to invade your mind to know you want to kill me." His eyes glinted. "Interesting thing is… you could have done it, by now."

Seo said nothing.

"That's a neat talent you have," the Master mused. "An instinct, in your mind, always pushing you to discover how to kill any person you meet. How to destroy anything you come across. How to tear apart any place you find. Shame you suppress it."

Seo's jaw trembled, as she forced herself to be brave.

"You've been working out how to kill me since long before we ever met," the Master reflected. "Ways that might actually work." He raised his eyebrows. "But you haven't even tried any of _those_."

No answer from Seo.

"Because you're afraid to," said the Master.

Still no answer.

The Master gave her a theatrical little pout, as he came over to her, reaching out to ruffle her hair. "Aw, poor, terrified little Cupcake. So scared to be the killer you're supposed to be."

Seo scooted out of his grasp. "Don't touch me."

The Master grinned at her. An iciness in his eyes that pierced right down into Seo's soul. Made her shudder back, even farther, wishing she could forget what he'd done to her.

"You know," the Master said, leaning against the wall, "you should be thanking me. For showing you mercy."

Seo's expression grew that much more hateful. "Mercy?"

"I only broke into your mind," the Master explained. He shrugged. "I could have destroyed you, completely. The way I did with Elizabeth."

Seo squeezed her eyes shut. Emotions blazing through her, too much to handle, swamping her with their power. "Why are you doing this? To me? To Earth?"

"The drums," said the Master. His eyes turning feverish. "The never ending drums. Calling to me." His fingers tapped out the rhythm, against his leg, as he advanced on Seo. "Can't you hear them?"

Seo shook her head, inching farther away.

The Master stopped his advance. A hint of… almost… disappointment stretched across his face. A hint he covered up, immediately.

"No," he decided. "You wouldn't hear them. Weak, wimpy little Cupcake. A blight on the Gallifreyan race. Of course _you'd_ never pick up a call to kill and conquer and restart the Time Lord Empire."

He took another step forward.

"It's _my_ destiny," the Master told her. " _My_ fate. That's what the drums mean. That _I_ , alone, was fated to rule everything."

"You hear a four-beat rhythm, repeating, in your head, all the time," Seo said, a little flabbergasted, "and you think that's telling you to destroy the world?" She shook her head. "You never thought, maybe, this was fate's way of telling you that you should be an orchestra conductor?"

The Master's eyes flared with a deep burning.

"At least I _have_ a reason to destroy the world," he said, his voice low, challenging. He crossed his arms, his eyebrows raised. "As opposed to you. Who did it out of boredom."

Seo froze.

He'd seen even that in her mind, then. That first time, when she thought she'd been destroying the world… Dad's first 'don't destroy the world' lesson…

"It wasn't a real world," Seo insisted. Almost desperately. "It was fake. Originating in my imagination."

"You thought it was real," the Master said. "And destroyed it. Like the killer you are."

Seo didn't answer. Her head dropping, as she stared down at the ground. Trying to banish waves of guilt from her mind.

She knew… he was right.

And it stung.

"Is that the end of my punishment?" Seo asked, in a small voice.

The Master gave a laugh. "Breaking into your mind?" he said. "Oh, _that_ wasn't your punishment, Cupcake. _That's_ your life from now on."

Seo tried to scoot farther away from him, but found herself stuck in a corner. As he advanced on her, his form looming over her, his eyes burning with that fiery fever of insanity, his grin deranged.

She shuddered.

No.

No! No! No!

"You see, I've been having a problem," said the Master, "down on Earth. Trying to find someone who can't be seen. Someone hiding from me. Plotting against me. A weapon set up by the Doctor to destroy me. I sent my minions after it but… well… you know what minions are like."

Seo's head spun.

She'd heard this before. In a timeline cut out of the universe. An insane person, chasing after a weapon…

"But you, Cupcake, I was impressed with you," said the Master. "If you weren't so scared of killing me, you might have actually been able to do it by now. That's a talent." He took another step forward. "And so far… your talent's been going to waste."

"I… I don't understand," said Seo.

The Master squatted down, so that he was right at Seo's eye level. Staring at her with an intensity she'd never seen in him, before.

"Your punishment is simple," he told her. "I'm going to make sure that _you_ , Cupcake," his voice turning that much icier, "will be the one to find and kill Martha Jones."


	63. Chapter 63

Seo's World:

Spike had managed to escape from Glory's clutches. Cut up, only semi-conscious, tortured to the point he almost couldn't stand it, he shoved himself down an lift shaft, falling onto the lift and then pulling himself through the trap-door, to wind up inside the lift.

The moment the doors chimed open, he staggered to his feet. Only to be confronted by a group of Glory's minions who'd raced down the stairs, instead.

"You do not insult Glory by escaping!" one of the minions said.

Just then, Buffy and the Scoobies burst through the door, entering the apartment complex that lay just outside the spot where Buffy had killed that snake monster, earlier that year.

The minions spun around.

"Slayer," they said.

Spike, with a groan, collapsed onto the floor of the lift, as Buffy and her friends surged forwards.

A minion charged Xander, who slashed at the minion with a sword. Buffy sprung up, and struck the Minion on the back of the head with the blunt side of her axe, so he sagged to the ground. Another minion threw itself on Buffy, while a third yanked the axe out of her hands.

Buffy spun around, dislodging one to throw him back, and then striking the other in the temple.

Xander, having also been disarmed, picked up Buffy's fallen axe, and swung it at a fourth and fifth minion, keeping them at bay.

Then the Doctor and the Buffy-bot entered at a run. "Finished!"

The Buffy-bot surged forwards, suddenly a thousand times more limber and agile than before, knocking back the minions and freeing Buffy, Xander, and the others. The Doctor raced over to Spike, dragging him up out of the lift, and out of danger.

With a flurry of fighting and a spark from the Buffy-bot, the Scoobies, Buffy, and the Doctor — carrying Spike — retreated.

Then turned, and ran. Fast as they could.

"I never thought I'd see the day I saved Spike," Buffy muttered, as she left the apartment complex.

The Doctor grinned at her.

"Buff," said Xander, panting. "If he's been compromised…"

"I know," said Buffy. She gritted her teeth. "Trust me, I know."

If Spike was compromised… Buffy was killing him.

To hell with setting a good example.

* * *

Spike lay where they'd dumped him. Lying on the bier in the center of his crypt, covered in wounds and injuries. Groaning.

"Sike!"

Spike looked up. Let out an annoyed sigh, as he saw Goldilocks Junior standing there.

"Yeah, Spike can't play, today, kiddo," said Spike. He lay back down. "Just go home."

Seo looked him over, a very serious stare coming across her.

Then, in a low voice, "Lolie."

Spike glanced back at her. "You pick up things fast," he said. Dragged himself up so he sat upright on the bier. "Still. Suppose most people in your life are getting beat up by Glory, these days." He approached her, kneeling down so he was at her eye level. "You know what Glory's looking for?"

Seo blinked. Confused.

Clearly, she hadn't actually made it to the point of understanding that Glory was looking for something.

"Never mind," said Spike. "Not important." He stood up. "Just stay clear of here, from now on. Got that? She's probably got minions all around this place."

Seo's frown intensified. Still not seeming to understand.

Spike sighed. Bright she may be, but she was still less than a year old. "You. Stay. Away." He made big exaggerated hand gestures. "Don't. Come. Here."

"Sike," Seo repeated, but this time, it sounded icy and terrifying. As if there were a deep rage building inside of her, just waiting to explode.

"Right…" said Spike, backing away, hands raised. "Look, Goldilocks Junior. Not to push any buttons or anything, but Glory's a great big nasty. You know? Punch through solid rock kind of nasty. Your mummy can't handle her. Your daddy can't handle her. You better… just…"

He stopped. Hearing a noise from outside.

Swore beneath his breath.

In a second, he grabbed Seo up, and swept her into the tunnels beneath his crypt. "Hide. Don't make a sound. Don't move."

Then shut up the tunnels and raced back to the bier, lying down, as if he'd always been there. Groaning, just the way he'd been, before.

"Spike!" came Buffy's voice. "You're covered in sexy wounds!"

Spike opened his eyes. Breathed a breath of relief, as he sat up, again. "Oh, it's just you." He looked her up and down. A little surprised. "Thought they'd have melted you down into scrap."

"They were confused, too," said the Buffy-bot. "Do you want to ravage me?"

Spike grunted. "Not now," he muttered. Then paused. Suddenly thought of something. "Hey. The Doctor… revamped you. Yeah?"

"That's right," said the Buffy-bot.

"Then… I got a job for you," said Spike. "More important than any others. Think you're up to it?"

"What?" asked the Buffy-bot.

"There's this… kid," said Spike. "Likes to come 'round here, when I'm asleep. She comes here, you bring her home. Don't let her into this crypt."

The Buffy-bot seemed confused. "Why not?"

"Because Glory's minions are looking for her," said Spike. "Looking here."

The Buffy-bot perked up. "Then we should just give her to them!" she proposed. "I can—"

"No!" said Spike.

The Buffy-bot stopped, as Spike waved out a hand.

"You can't… Glory never finds her," said Spike. "Full stop."

"Why?" asked the Buffy-bot.

"Buffy — the other… not-as-pleasant Buffy," said Spike. "Something happened to Seo, it'd destroy her. I couldn't live, her being in that much pain. I'd let Glory kill me first. Nearly bloody did."

The Buffy-bot came over, her face melting into an expression of utter thankfulness. Put a hand on Spike's arm.

A hand… that was warm. Human.

Not the Buffy-bot at all.

"Thanks," said Buffy.

The real Buffy.

Spike shook his head. "And my robot?"

Buffy shot him a dark glare. "Don't push your luck."

Spike sighed. Then, in a louder voice, "You can come out, now. It's just your mum."

Buffy raised her eyebrows.

"She always bloody shows up here," Spike muttered. "I was trying to get her to leave, when you paraded in."

No answer from Seo.

"Least, she _was_ here," said Spike, getting up from the bier. He went over to the back passage, leading into the tunnels. Opened it. "Where'd you run off to?"

Buffy muttered beneath her breath, as she rushed after Spike. "My life, from now on," she said. "Trying to find Seo." She pushed past Spike, into the tunnels. "Seo! Seo, are you down here?"

Spike had frozen, by the entranceway. Staring at the rock that lay just inside. A rock with a tiny, baby-fist-sized hole in the middle of it.

_Glory's a great big nasty. Punch through solid rock kind of nasty_.

"Oh, no," said Spike. Remembering that cold expression on her face. Remembering the way she'd looked like she wanted to lash out. And if the child was anything like her parents…

Seeing the people she cared about hurt…

"Buffy," said Spike. "You said… Seo wasn't just a Key. She was a Weapon. To kill Glory."

Buffy glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Can _Seo_ tell where Glory lives?" asked Spike.

Buffy stopped. Froze. Remembering… that evening, when she'd fought the snake monster — Seo hadn't just chased after her. Seo had pointed — at the very apartment where Glory lived.

"I… think so," Buffy breathed.

Spike pointed down at the rock. "Then we've got a problem."


	64. Chapter 64

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love this scene between the Doctor and the Master.
> 
> Shanna Tova everyone.

Martha's World:

The lights were low on the flight deck of the Valiant, the night sky stretching out beneath them. The Master had wheeled the Doctor's wheelchair over to a window, and was now leaning over the Doctor's shoulder, the two of them staring out at the world below.

Shipyard One.

And all those little Toclafane, flying through the sky, metal cases glinting in the moonlight.

Interesting what Time Lords considered their 'children'.

"Ninety nine years old," the Master mused. "Ninety nine."

The Doctor didn't answer.

"Feels like ages ago that I was ninety nine," the Master said. His eyes growing unfocused, as they looked out at the world below. "On Gallifrey."

"We were still friends, then," the Doctor reminded him.

A sad smile crept up the Master's face. "Friends," he agreed. "And troublemakers. The pranks we played! The look on Lady Ulzinoxol's face, that one time."

"She never forgave us for that," the Doctor chuckled.

"Had it coming, though," said the Master. "Deserved it for ratting us out — just because we skipped a few classes."

"To go drinking with the Shoboguns," the Doctor agreed.

"No one knew how to throw a party like those Shoboguns," the Master said. A sad smile still lingering on his lips. "I still say I won that drinking game on Winter's Festival."

"You wish."

"I always win, in the end," the Master retorted. "Always did. Always will." He leaned his head to the side. "That was the year we decided to become radicals and fight the system, wasn't it?"

"And the year we ran off to try to join the Outsiders, outside the Citadel," said the Doctor. "Until your father tracked us down and dragged us back."

"Those were the days," the Master sighed. His eyes fixed off into the distance. "We had so many plans for what we'd do, together. When we grew up."

For a few long minutes, neither said anything. Both lost in a sea of memories, of being ninety nine on Gallifrey, before they'd even been known as 'the Master' and 'the Doctor'. The times when they'd thought they'd be friends forever.

So, so long ago.

"But, of course," said the Master, snapping out of it, standing up straight, "then _someone_ had to go blow up the planet!" The Master grinned, looking down on the sleeping Earth below them, the deserts and wastelands of Shipyard One. "Leaving me to rebuild what you tore down."

The Doctor's eyes grew that much sadder. "Gallifrey's gone. Accept it."

"But it's not!" the Master said. Waving his hand at the window. "See! A new Gallifrey in the heavens! A future for the Time Lords!"

"You can't bring them back," the Doctor reiterated.

"A future made in my own image," the Master continued. "Unlike that sorry excuse for a future _you_ came up with. The useless little girl!"

"Gallifrey's days are over," the Doctor said. "The days of the Time Lords are over. Nothing and no one can bring it back. Not you. Not me." His eyes went that much sadder. "Certainly not her."

The Master ignored him. "Do you know why she hasn't killed me, yet?" he asked. "She's… afraid! Afraid! Can you imagine? An instinct to work out how to kill anyone she meets, and too afraid to use it." He scoffed. "And you call her a Time Lady!"

"I never called her that."

"At least that's one thing we still agree on," the Master muttered.

"She's from Earth," the Doctor said. " _That's_ her home. Not Gallifrey. Whatever the Time Lords once were, whatever being Gallifreyan once meant… it'll never apply to her. She can't even know what it means." His eyes lingered on the Toclafane. "Nor can they."

"My children," the Master said. "My little warriors. An empire combining human and Time Lord." He leaned down, and whispered in the Doctor's ear, "And, unlike yours, my children are _perfect_."

The Doctor didn't answer.

"I mean, honestly!" the Master continued, standing up straight, again. "I knew Cupcake was poorly built, but her whole physiological makeup is just disgraceful. I invaded her mind, earlier, and her natural mental barriers were practically non-existent! I mean, what sort of Gallifreyan couldn't fend off…?"

The Master trailed off. Noticing the way the Doctor had crumpled in on himself, a little more. That devastated sorrow sinking in a little deeper.

The Master beamed. "Ooh!" He leapt to the side, to get a better look at the Doctor. "Did I make Gandalf grumpy by breaking into little Cupcake's mind?"

The Doctor didn't answer.

The Master pat the Doctor on his balding head. "Amazing thing is… she might not be well constructed," he reflected, "or even a real Gallifreyan, but her mind still _feels_ right. Familiar. Invading it… felt… comforting." He laughed. "Beautiful."

No reaction from the Doctor.

"In fact, I liked it so much," the Master said, "I've decided to make it a habit."

"Don't," said the Doctor.

The Master leaned down. Pointed at the Toclafane, swarming below. "You manipulated their minds, Doctor," he said. "Giving them false hope. Sending them to Utopia. My poor, lost little kids, stuck at the end of the universe." His eyes darted back to the Doctor. "You do it to my kids. I do it to yours."

For a few long moments, there was silence between them. A dark, deep silence, stretching out between two once-friends and long-time enemies.

"Well?" the Master said. "What do you have to say to that?"

"I have only one thing to say to you," the Doctor replied.

The Master gave a disgusted groan. "And you had to go ruin it!" He grabbed up the arms of the wheelchair, and spun it around to face him. Grinning at the aged Doctor. "Well, lucky me, there's still _your_ punishment to look forward to."

The Doctor looked away. Weary and dejected.

"Don't be like that!" the Master chirruped, bouncing over to the back of the wheelchair, grabbing up the handles and wheeling the Doctor away. "The fun's just about to start!"

"Same as last time, then?" the Doctor muttered.

The Master laughed. "Oh, Doctor, I'm disappointed in you. Of course it won't be the same as last time." He brought out his laser screwdriver, in his free hand, and leaned down over the Doctor's shoulder, whispering in his ear. "This time, it's going to be _so_ much worse."

And the Master chuckled. As the Doctor struggled to suppress a shudder.

* * *

No one ever knew what happened to the Doctor, when the Master took him away. When the Master rolled him off, somewhere, for some 'alone time' or 'punishment' or whatever he was calling it.

No one knew. And no one asked.

Because they knew the answer wouldn't be anything they wanted to hear.

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Seo's world:

"Then I'll tear the crypt apart with my bare hands!" shouted Glory, stomping across the grassy park just outside her luxury apartment complex. "Throttle that vampire until he tells me where the girl's hidden! That's my Key, and there's no way I'm letting some trumped up Vampire Slayer and some Time Lord jerk keep me from—"

She screamed.

As a sharp pain flooded through her, from her ankle. A pain unlike anything Glory had felt in the mortal realms before.

"But… but that _hurt_!" said Glory. "That really, _really_ …"

Then stopped. As she looked down.

And saw the tiny baby, murder in her eyes, who'd just bitten Glory on the ankle.

Her Key.

"Hate," hissed her Key. An absolute fury boiling inside of the baby. "Hate."

The widest smile imaginable crept up Glory's face. Her entire body breaking into sudden relieved, incredulous, amazed wonder.

"My Key," said Glory, bending down and picking her up. She squirmed and tried to strike out, but even though the punches hurt, they were still just baby punches against a full grown Hell Goddess. "And thanks to you and your biting act, little baby, you've drawn attention to yourself. That means… finally… _I can see you_."


	65. Chapter 65

Martha's World:

It happened every day, now. A routine.

The guards would drag Seo from her cupboard. Force her, no matter how much she struggled, to accompany them to the Master's private quarters.

At which point the Master would break into her mind.

Tearing through her, breaking down every wall or barrier she had against him. He was cruel. Impartial to her suffering. She was a tool to him, a means to an end, and he was determined to get to that end.

Only pausing, in his work, to ask one question. "Will you kill Martha Jones?"

"No," Seo always said.

The Master gave an annoyed sigh, plunging into her mind, again. "It's no use fighting back," he reminded her. "You clearly don't understand how a Gallifreyan mind's supposed to work. I do. There's no way you can defeat me."

She tried, anyways. Tried with everything she had. Tried to lash out, strike him down so he'd leave her alone. Or even just run and hide, throwing up defenses.

But he always got around them.

And, every time she refused to do his bidding, he used his every psychic power to cause her the worst pain and agony she'd ever felt, before.

"This is what happens when you disobey your Master," the Master chided her, when she screamed.

Seo never gave in.

Would never give in.

No matter how smug the Master looked, when she was dragged in, every day, to face him. No matter how certain he was that she'd give in to him, eventually.

She'd never, ever do it.

"You've killed before," the Master said. "Crossed that line. Those guards, trying to shoot Gwen."

"But never on purpose," said Seo. "To an innocent who doesn't want it. That line I'll _never_ cross."

And so the Master continued. So the agony continued. Day after day after day.

"There's nothing you can do to convince me," said Seo, through her teeth, after one of the mental invasion sessions. "You've taken everything else away from me. Everyone else. My friends. My family. My world. The only person left, out there — the only friend you haven't killed — is Martha."

And Dawn.

But Seo had locked any and all thoughts of Dawn away, deep, deep down inside of her. Had spent long hours training her mind to forget that Dawn ever existed. Tapping into that section of her mind still flooded with retcon overdose.

The Master would _never_ get his hands on Dawn.

_Ever_.

"I can threaten your father," the Master reminded her. "Make life very unpleasant for him."

"You're going to do that, anyways," said Seo. She leveled dark eyes at the Master. "And he wants Martha alive as much as me."

The Master considered, then seemed to accept this.

"There is nothing else you can take from me," said Seo, "that I value more than Martha's life. So I'll never, ever do it."

"I could kill you," the Master said.

"I don't care."

The Master examined her, vaguely amused. Thinking the matter over, tapping the laser screwdriver against his lips.

"Well," he said, "there might be nothing I can take from you. What about… something I could give you?"

But that wouldn't work. Seo knew he'd never give up her father, and the Joneses were only going to live as long as Martha did. The moment she died, they died.

The Master wouldn't give her any of them.

Or the Earth.

"You've got nothing I want," said Seo. "Nothing you'd be willing to give up."

"I've got the Freak," said the Master.

Seo froze. Staring.

"Yes, I know, I'll be giving up some of the best entertainment I've had in centuries," the Master admitted, pacing the room in front of Seo. "But when the rockets launch and my empire begins, I'll be too busy to deal with him, anyways. I was going to stick him in the middle of deep space, so he could suffocate over and over again, but…" His eyes rested on Seo. "I might be persuaded otherwise."

Seo didn't say anything.

"So I'll make a deal," said the Master. "You kill Martha Jones for me, guarantee me my seat of power — and I'll give you the Freak."

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Seo's World:

Glory had retreated into her hideout, scheming on how to bleed the baby in such a way to get the Key energies before regeneration set in, when… Glory screamed, lost control, and morphed into Ben.

Now Ben stood there. In Glory's place. Holding little baby Seo in his arms. Trying to decide what to do. How to treat this baby girl Glory wanted to kill.

"Seo… doesn't even really know what's happening, right?" said Ben. "And the death will be quick."

"Actually, it will be excruciating agony," said the minions. "The Monks embedded the Key into her biodata, not her DNA. Which means we will be forced to kill her by slowly bleeding her to death across all thirteen lives."

Inside Ben's mind, he could suddenly feel Glory. Remember being Glory. For the first time, they could talk, as they switched, one to another. Morphed, Ben into Glory, Glory back into Ben.

And so they talked, right now.

"Never," Ben decided, holding the baby tightly in his arms, racing out of the hideout. "I'll never let you kill her, Glory."

Ben morphed into Glory, who laughed. "Little late in the game to start growing a backbone, Benjamin. Now be good, stay quiet, and hand her over."

"Or what?" Ben challenged, as he morphed back. "What'll you do to me, if I refuse? You're planning to kill me, anyways!"

"Shut your hole, you sanctimonious little meatworm!" Glory snapped. "You can't fight me. I'm a god. I'm going home no matter what you do."

"You really think I'll let that happen?" said Ben. His hands shook around the baby. Grabbing up a nearby knife and pointing it at the child's throat. "You need her blood? I'll make sure she doesn't have any blood left to give you. No matter how many times I have to kill her to do it."

Ben morphed back into Glory, who threw away the knife, now clearly frightened. She clung to the tiny baby, her Key, who was still kicking and screaming and struggling, uselessly, in Glory's hands.

"You won't kill her," Glory said. "I know you won't. Because you're scared."

No response from Ben.

"Shh, shh, it's okay," Glory soothed Ben. "I understand. You're afraid. Who'd blame you? Just hand over the girl, let me go home, and everything'll be fine."

"You've destroyed me, Glory," Ben retorted. "Got me fired from my job. Took out all my friends. Killed everyone I knew. Tore apart everything I had. All those things, all those people, sacrificed for _your_ benefit." His rage built up in him. "All I have left is my life. And I'm keeping it."

"Stop and think, Ben!" Glory snapped. "We bleed the girl. I return to my seat of power. Become a real goddess, again."

"And I disappear," said Ben.

"Unless someone up there likes you," said Glory. "Give up the girl, and I could like you a whole lot." She grinned. "I'm offering you immortality, here, Ben. I'm offering you everything."

Ben said nothing for a long moment. A very long moment. Considering.

"One girl," said Glory. "One girl you have to sacrifice. And all your dreams come true."

And he caved.

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Martha's World:

"One girl," the Master said, to Seo, as he dragged her down into the bowels of the Valiant. "One girl you have to sacrifice. And the Freak's yours. Forever."

"He can't die," said Seo. Planting a stubborn, determined look on her face. "It doesn't matter what you do to him. He'll still come back."

The Master's grin widened.

He chained her up in the boiler room, then blasted Jack to death with his laser screwdriver.

"Watch," the Master instructed.

Picked up a carving knife and proceeded to dismember Jack's body, grinding each piece into a mash of blood and guts. Until nothing remained left of Jack, except some shattered bones and splattered remains.

The Master beamed at Seo as he turned to leave. "Remember, Cupcake. This can all stop. Just give me Martha Jones."

And he strolled out of the room.

Leaving Seo to watch. As, slowly, bit by bit, Jack's body reassembled itself. The bones coming back together, muscle knitting around them… slowly, inch by inch, piece by piece. Jack's eyes open — no eyelids to close — his brain already reassembled enough to register what was happening to him.

He screamed.

A horrified, heart-wrenching scream. Thrashing in agony, as his body slowly pieced itself back together.

And when his tongue grew back… Seo could hear him hollering, shrieking, to just, "Let this end! Let me go! Let me die!"

The Master stopped by, a few hours later, to check on her. Standing just behind Seo, looking out at the tortured Jack, a look of vague amusement on his face.

"You could kill him for good," the Master observed. "I found that squirreled away inside your mind."

Seo didn't answer.

"But you'd never do it, would you?" the Master asked. "Not on the Valiant. Not in the outside world. You're too much of a coward to kill him forever."

Seo bit her lower lip.

It wasn't cowardice. It was selfishness.

Selfishness, for not wanting Jack to die. Wanting him to be alive. Wanting him to always be there, living and being Jack. Wanting to see him, again.

This was what her selfishness had done.

Tortured him. Forced him to live, when all he wanted was to die.

(And she still couldn't bring herself to kill him. Would never be able to bring herself to kill him.)

"Be stubborn, fight your Master, and this is what will happen to the Freak, from now on," the Master said. "Over and over again. A living death."

Seo trembled.

"Kill Martha Jones," the Master said, "and your Master could like you a lot. Be good to you. Good to him."

Seo didn't answer.

"Think about it," the Master told her, as he left.

* * *

Seo watched it, over and over again. The excruciating agony of Jack's coming back to life, after his body had been completely destroyed. Heard him shout and scream and plead for death.

The moment Jack got too close to reviving, completely, having the agony and torment end, the Master would come down and start the cycle over again. He blew Jack up. He shoved Jack into a meat grinder. He incinerated Jack completely.

Anything to make sure Seo saw every second of his agonizing revival.

The only break Seo ever got from this was when the Master broke into her mind. Tore through her head, ripped past her defenses. As Seo's screams rose up through the air, joining Jack's.

It went on for months.

Months of pain and misery and torment. Months of chipping away at everything Seo still had left in her.

"Just kill Martha Jones," the Master said, one day, as Seo continued to struggle and resist. "Eliminate any threat to my godhood. Guarantee me my seat of power. And I'll give you your immortal."

"I hate you," Seo gritted through her teeth.

The Master laughed, as he kept plundering her mind.

"I've met the Devil," Seo spat at him. "An insane hell goddess who wanted to murder me. A sentient dimension that wanted to use me as a revenge tool. An omnipotent council of super-beings who systematically tore apart Mom's life." She glared at the Master. "And I never hated them half as much as I hate you."

The Master dropped her to the ground, leaving her to get on with watching Jack. The guards injecting her with pacification drugs, enough to keep her docile and stop her from using any of her super strength.

"It's either Daddy-Freak," said the Master, "or Martha Jones. Your choice."

And after the Master left, Seo shuddered. Curled up into herself, as she stared out at the tortured form of Jack Harkness.

"I won't be like Ben," she promised herself. "I won't take the Master's offer. I won't! I won't! I won't! I won't!"

Jack gave another blood curdling scream.

And Seo wondered how many times she'd have to watch Jack die… before she proved herself wrong.


	66. Chapter 66

Seo's World:

Everyone had gone out looking for baby Seo. Or everyone who could survive in daylight, anyways.

But there was no sign of her. No sign of Glory. No sign of anyone.

Glory's apartments had been cleaned out.

And Buffy didn't have any idea where Glory would have gone, after that.

"Seo wouldn't really have gone after Glory, herself, though, right?" said Tara, as they searched. "I mean, Glory's looking for her."

"Yeah, but Seo doesn't know that part," Willow pointed out. "The only thing Seo knows is that everyone she likes around her keeps getting beat up and nearly killed by Glory."

"And if she takes after her parents," said Xander, "I'm guessing, in her book, that means it's head-bashing time."

But she was nowhere.

"Well… well maybe she didn't get caught by Glory," Buffy proposed. "Maybe she escaped! Maybe she—"

"No," said the Doctor. "Glory's got her. The probabilities have shifted." He looked up at the sky, dragging a hand through his hair, an impossibly troubled look on his face. "Too soon. I just needed time to get it into the red. Just a little more time!"

Buffy took a long, deep breath. "Okay. Okay! So we find Glory, find Seo, and…"

She stopped, as the Doctor pushed past her. Walking, with a determined stride, blank expression on his face, towards her house.

She raced to catch up with him. "Doctor, where are you—?"

"I'm leaving," the Doctor told her.

Buffy felt her whole world freeze around her, as the Doctor entered the house, and immediately went down to the basement. Towards his TARDIS. "You… you're…"

"Seo's gone," the Doctor said, racing down the stairs. "Taken. There's nothing left, Elizabeth. I'm leaving. This is the end."

"But… you can't go!" said Buffy. She was clinging to the railing. "You can't just—"

"This was never going to last forever," the Doctor said. He stopped, by the TARDIS doors. His eyes fixed down at the ground. "Now… time's run out. Too soon. This is the end." He gave an uneasy laugh. "Odd time to learn I hate goodbyes, really. Suppose it can't be helped."

Buffy leapt down the stairs, after him. "Please, don't…!"

The Doctor turned, caught her arms in his hands. "Don't make this any harder than it needs to be," he said.

Then he unlocked the TARDIS doors. Slipped inside.

And the ship wheezed and groaned, as it disappeared from the Summers' basement.

The rest of the Scoobies burst in through the door to the basement, rushing down the stairs. Staring, in horror, at the dematerializing ship. At the Doctor who'd just vanished from their lives, forever.

And at Buffy.

Who'd sunk to the ground. Staring straight ahead. Unable to move.

As she finally lost everything she ever had.

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Martha's World:

The Master loved it.

Invading Cupcake's mind, while she sobbed over her Freak. Her mind was so young, so inviting, so familiar. It had been a long time since he'd lingered in a Gallifreyan's mind, and even just this taste of it was enough to remind him what he'd missed.

She put up a fight. Got better at shutting him out, over time. But it was never very hard to break past her defenses.

There were a few patches she'd managed to wipe from her own mind. Patches of knowledge and memory she'd forced herself to forget.

Probably the details about Martha's plan to kill the Master.

No matter. If Seo killed Martha, that wouldn't matter, anyways. And the Master knew Seo could do it. He'd already seen Seo's potential. That pure, raw talent inside of her, so perfectly suited to turn her into a killing machine — if she just dared to use it. True, she didn't _know_ how to kill most things.

But the potential was there. And the knowledge was a problem easily remedied.

Then, one day, about a month in, the Master hit a block in Cupcake's mind.

He blinked. Startled.

This wasn't like the meager little barriers that she'd been throwing up, trying to keep him out. This was a great big impenetrable fortress, keeping a deep, dark secret at bay.

A secret the Master wanted to know.

He focused all his energy against the mental block. Used all his immense psychic powers to tear that wall down. But he only dented it. Only scratched the surface.

"Don't," Seo pleaded. "You don't know what you're doing."

The Master ignored her.

Kept striking at that barrier, using every single mental trick he knew to get past it, weaken its defenses. And then, one day — on her hundredth birthday, as it turned out (Happy Birthday, Cupcake!) — the mental block chipped, just a bit, just at a corner. Just enough so the Master could see…

The Master cried out, as he dropped Cupcake to the ground. Cried out at the sheer power that he'd sensed, in that tiny little crack.

Cupcake squeezed her eyes shut, on the floor. As if frantically trying to repair the damage that had been done. Seal up the crack.

The Master stared at her.

"You… you _weren't_ bluffing!" he said. Tried to stop himself from gaping. "You. Little harmless Cupcake. Inside! You're… you're…"

"Evil," said Seo. "I know."

"You're _an idiot_!" the Master corrected. He pointed at her. "A power that could make empires crumble. Make worlds bow before you, with scarcely any effort at all. Allow you to conquer the entire universe! And you _lock it up_?!"

"I don't want the universe," said Seo. "What would I even do with it?"

"Give it to me," said the Master.

Seo opened her eyes, just enough to shoot the Master a glare. "Never."

But the Master was already starting to see the possibilities. Already starting to realize just how useful this could be, in his hands. Forget just sending her out to destroy a planet or two. Get her fully under his belt, and he could rule everything. Everywhere.

Perhaps… this was where the drums had been leading him, all along.

"You can't control her," Seo warned. "If you let her out, she'll—"

"Oh, I know, I know," the Master dismissed. His eyes fixed on the writhing Freak, slowly reassembling in excruciating agony. "Only _you_ can control this thing inside of you." He turned back to Seo. "Which means… it's not a matter of figuring out how to control that power. Just figuring out how to control _you_."

Seo didn't answer.

"Good things happen to those who please their Master," the Master told her. He glanced at the Freak. "Not just giving you the Freak. Other things. Wonderful things." He looked back at Seo. "The Earth, maybe? The chance for you to free humanity? The ability for you to travel through time?"

Seo said nothing.

"Maybe… if you're _very_ good," the Master mused, "I could even lend you your father for a while. How'd you like that?"

Seo opened her mouth to answer, but closed it, again. Her eyes fixed on the Master.

Beside them, Jack had finally grown back in his tongue. Was pleading for an end, a stop, pleading desperately for someone to have mercy on him.

Seo didn't answer. Either of them.

"Kill Martha Jones," the Master told her. "Give in. Cross that line and become your Master's Weapon. You know you want to. It's your fate. Your destiny."

Seo shot him an angry glare. "That's not my destiny."

But she still hadn't said no.

"Of course, if you don't give me what I want, voluntarily… I'll just have to force you," the Master continued. "Risk letting this thing loose on the universe, in all its unstoppable destructiveness." His eyes gleamed. "Your choice."

No answer from Seo.

"Think it over," the Master said, turning to leave her to it. A smug smile on his face. "It's one girl, Seo. Just hand over one girl, surrender yourself to me and do everything I ask of you — and you can save your precious human race."

* * *

Jack came to, from the pits of agony and despair, darkness and horror, the icy clutches of death. Came to, fully aware and conscious, pain-free for the first time in months.

To discover Seo chained up in front of him, sitting upon the floor, her head bent so she stared at the ground, trying to banish tears from her eyes.

"Seo?" asked Jack.

Seo shuddered away from him. Not wanting to talk to him.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked. Suddenly in a panic. "What did the Master do to you? What did he tell you, this time? Because he's a lying bastard, Seo. A lying, sadistic bastard."

Seo's entire body shook, as she struggled not to cry.

And Jack could make out her voice, so faint he could barely hear it. Her voice, repeating the same thing, over and over again.

"I don't know what to do!" Seo whispered. "I don't know what to do!"


	67. Chapter 67

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't understand this chapter, read chapter 31 of "Your Nature". That explains this whole section.

Seo's World:

The problem the Doctor had figured out was… they weren't in the real universe, anymore. Hadn't been for a while. They were in a separate reality — an unstable reality. A reality based on a paradox.

Hence… the Paradox Machine.

The Doctor had finished building the Paradox Machine shortly after rescuing Spike.

The machine that had torn his hearts to shreds, building. Which had required him to sacrifice his beloved ship, just to save the reality he knew and the family he had begun.

He'd set the machine to charge.

But there just hadn't been enough time.

The moment that Seo had been picked up by Glory, the probabilities began to fall into place. The probability that Glory would open the portal and destroy the universe. An unstable portal, in an unstable reality?

The whole thing would shatter.

But it was worse than that. The moment those probabilities passed a certain point, the moment their reality fell off the probability lattice and Glory's opening the portal became almost a certainty — the entire universe would already begin to crumble. Starting at that very moment — even before the portal opened.

When the Doctor and the others had been searching for Seo, the probabilities hadn't quite lined up. There'd been someone else in the mix… some other person, close to Glory but not Glory, a man who could save Seo and stop it all…

But he hadn't.

And at that moment, when that one person had made that one choice… this reality fell over the probability lattice. The probability of Glory's opening the portal became too high.

The Doctor could feel the reality beginning to shatter, along the edges.

"Elizabeth will work out some way to prevent the portal from opening," he said, racing around the machine he'd managed to jiggery-poke into getting sling-shotted right to the edges of reality itself. "Up to me to stop reality from shattering, before she gets the chance."

The Paradox Machine had needed to be fully powered up, to work. The arrow on the energy field should have been in the red.

It wasn't. He hadn't had enough time.

"Only option left," the Doctor muttered, trying to get the ship to drift precisely between the dimensions. Which was difficult to do, as the actual ship part had been almost entirely dismantled. "Sacrificed the ship. Now… have to sacrifice me."

Symbiotic link.

He could hurl the ship where it needed to go. Him, and him alone. Nestle the ship in the very surface of reality itself, right in the middle of the first crack that was beginning to form.

Could fly it there. But not back.

To return would require him to dismantle the Paradox Machine and turn it back into a ship. Thus, destabilizing reality. And shattering the universe.

A one-way trip.

"Knew this reality wasn't going to last forever, though," the Doctor said, connecting two more wires and launching the ship yet further. "Like I told Elizabeth. Nothing else for it."

Then…

A crash, as the ship slammed into a burst of energy.

The entire thing sparked around the Doctor, and the Paradox Machine began to hum and churn, its functions grinding as it activated in precisely the wrong way, at precisely the wrong moment.

"No!" the Doctor said, as the ship shook, again, and he was launched forward in time. He scrambled for some way to undo this. "No, no, no, no, no!"

But he'd disassembled the part of his ship that could act as a time machine.

And there was no way to stop what had started.

The Paradox Machine grew red hot. Melting the grating surrounding it. Searing through the ship. The last hope of this universe, this entire reality, and it was dying, dying here with his TARDIS, with him, dying…

Then it stopped.

Everything stopped.

Froze, stuck in a moment of time. Everything completely still around the Doctor.

"Didn't think you'd manage to work it all out, in this timeline," came a Northern accent from just behind the Doctor. "Where you are. What it means. Why it happened. Bit impressed, actually, that you did."

The Doctor turned. To find a tall man with close-cropped hair, big ears, and a leather jacket, standing just behind him.

"Ah," said the man. "Forgot. No memory. You don't recognize the face."

"Pan-dimensional entity?" the Doctor guessed. Thinking this all through, furiously. "Suppose that makes you my timeline's jailer, then."

"Quarantiner," the entity corrected, gesturing at everything around him. "Your timeline got caught up in the Axis. A sick timeline, quarantined out of the universe."

"Because of the Facksisil of Balime?" the Doctor guessed. He sighed. "I figured that red crystal only got there because of something I wound up never doing, in this reality."

"Really did work it all out, didn't you?" the entity said. "Even tried to correct the problem, yourself. Save this entire reality." His eyes grew sad. "Wish you'd succeeded. But… well." Glancing at the imminent destruction around him. "All went a bit wrong, in the end, didn't it?"

The Doctor surged forward, his anger rising. "Then fix it."

The entity shook its head.

"Fix this!" the Doctor demanded. He gestured around himself. "If you have the power to stop and start time with the click of your fingers, then you have more than enough power to fix this machine and put the TARDIS where it needs to be. You have to—"

"I can't," the entity apologized. "Any more than you could fix Joyce Summers. I'm sorry."

The Doctor said nothing.

"As for you… you're already dead, Doctor," the entity admitted. "TARDIS was already destroyed. Few minutes ago. What you're experiencing, now — it's a trick. A deception. Only did it to give us two a chance to talk."

And so the entity explained. What the Axis was. What it meant. Why it was created. And why the Doctor was there.

"All there is to it, really," said the entity. He sighed. "Honestly. Sorry 'bout this. What happened. This version of you — happiest of the lot, really."

"Then let me die happy," the Doctor said. "Take me out of here. Let me see my family one more time, before I go."

"Can't," said the entity. "Really. Can't. Told you. Dead already." He stared down, as if through the floor, at the world sitting so many dimensional layers below them. "Everything that's happening to your family — it's happening now. Can't change it."

A sudden feeling of dread welled up inside of the Doctor. "What's happening to them?"

* * *

Willow, entering a catatonic Buffy's mind, watched as mental-landscape Buffy murdered her own daughter, over and over again.

"My gift to her," said Buffy. "It's death. This is what has to happen, Will. I have no choice."

"Yes, you do!" said Willow. "You can choose to stop!"

The mental landscape cut to the image of Buffy, putting back a book in the Magic Box. Stopping, just for a second, staring straight ahead.

"This is the moment I knew," said the Buffy presence in Buffy's mind. "I couldn't win."

"Even if I did find a way to kill Glory instead of Seo," said the Buffy putting the book back on the shelf, in the memory, "I'd just be teaching Seo that's what she should do. Either I kill Seo, or I give her the gift of death."

"I can't win," said the Buffy presence.

"Oh, snap out of it!" shouted Willow.

The two Buffy's stared at Willow. "What?"

"Your daughter — not dead yet!" said Willow. "Not evil, yet! But she sure will be if you stay locked inside your mind like this."

"But… I can't—" Buffy began.

Willow turned. Walked out of Buffy's mental landscape Magic Box.

"Wait, where are you…?" Buffy asked.

"Out there, where you're needed," said Willow. She glanced over her shoulder. "You coming?"

And outside Buffy's mind, Willow and Buffy both gasped back into full consciousness. Buffy breaking down into tears, as Willow reached forward, held her, let her cry it all out.

Then Buffy and the Scoobies all sat down. In the Magic Box. And strategized.

What to do… if the world fell apart.

"If worst comes to worst," said Giles. "If we have to… kill…"

"We're not killing Seo," said Buffy. "Not even once. And we'd have to kill her a lot more than once to close that portal. It's not just death, Giles. It's torture."

"But… that regeneration stopper!" said Willow. "From Dracula's casket. Remember? We've still got it. Take some samples, and I'm sure we can reproduce—"

"No!" shouted Buffy.

"Buff," said Xander, in a very soft voice, "it might be the kindest thing for her. This way, she'll only have to die once. She won't suffer."

"She isn't going to die at all!" shouted Buffy. She turned, her fists clenched. "We've got a plan, and it will work." Her eyes flashed. "And any of you touch Seo, and I swear. I'll kill you."

* * *

"Buffy and the others will come up with a plan," the entity told the Doctor, "to stop the portal from opening and save Seo. Get rid of Glory. They will carry it out. And their plan will almost succeed."

"Almost?" asked the Doctor.

* * *

The platform towered overhead, as the time to portal-opening approached.

Buffy raised the troll-hammer over the paralyzed and bloody Glory, preparing to strike, again, when Glory morphed into a very panicked Ben.

"No!" Ben cried. "Stop!"

Buffy hesitated. Then stopped. Lowered the hammer.

"Don't come near my family, again," she warned.

Turned.

And left him behind, as she raced off to save her daughter.

Giles stepped forward, instead. Taking Buffy's place, over Ben. Staring down at him — the human connected to Glory. The one way in which Glory was mortal.

"Buffy… she… could have killed me," said Ben. "But she didn't."

"No," Giles agreed. "Because she's a hero."

He clamped down a hand over Ben's nose and mouth, watching Ben slowly suffocate.

"Unlike the rest of us," said Giles, in a dark voice.

* * *

"The portal will open," the entity told the Doctor. "And when it does — Buffy will understand the truth. Why she's a Line Hopper. What she needs to do, to close it. She will jump. Take her daughter's place. Sacrifice herself to close that portal. Give up her own life — she believes — to save the universe."

"But that won't work!" the Doctor cried. "Yes, it'll close the portal. But it won't save the universe! Just the presence of a portal like that in an unstable universe, like this one, would be enough to shatter reality around us. The universe will end, anyways!"

The entity didn't answer.

A deep chill ran through the Doctor. "How… how will the others manage to save…?"

"They won't," said the entity.

* * *

"Shallow cuts," hissed one of Glory's goons, as it sliced at the screaming baby girl. "Let the blood flow free…"

Buffy charged forwards, knocking the goon off the platform, and sending him tumbling down. Then grabbed up baby Seo in her arms, hushing her, trying to soothe her.

As one trickle of blood splashed down, through the air…

And the portal swirled open, beneath their feet.

* * *

"Everyone will die," the entity confessed. "Whole universe will end. Can't stop it. Already begun." He gave a sad sigh. "Sorry. Really. I am."

"And Seo?" asked the Doctor.

* * *

As the first tendrils of dawn emerged over the horizon, Buffy, high up on that platform, knew what she had to do. Turned to Spike, standing on the platform, his skin just starting to smoke.

Handed Seo to him.

"I don't want her to see this," said Buffy. "Get her out of here. And tell her…" Buffy swallowed, hard. "I love her."

"Buffy, you—" said Spike.

"Go!" shouted Buffy.

And she watched as Spike darted down the platform, retreating for cover. Retreating from the sun. Saving her little girl.

Then Buffy turned back to the portal. Closed her eyes, took a deep breath.

Preparing herself for what she had to do.

* * *

"My daughter?!" the Doctor shouted at the entity, in the frozen moment of his TARDIS' destruction. "What happens to my daughter, in the end?!"

* * *

"You!" shouted one of the minions.

Spike spun around, still in the middle of darting for cover, little baby Seo in his arms. The ground had begun shaking, around him. Things were already falling apart.

But before he had a chance to say or do anything, the stake the minion threw pierced Spike's heart.

"Bugger," Spike muttered, as he exploded into ash.

Leaving Seo alone. All by herself, at the end of her world. The end of her universe.

The end of everything.

* * *

"She'll survive," the entity confessed to the Doctor. "To the very end."

"To see her mum die," the Doctor said. "And her universe crumble around her."

The entity didn't answer.

"In… the real universe," the Doctor said, running a hand through his hair, "is there a Seo? Is there anyone else out there that is what Seo is?"

The entity was silent for a long while.

"No," he admitted. "She is unique."

The Doctor stepped forward. "Then save her."

The entity shook its head, sadly.

"Just her," said the Doctor. "One person. One little girl who never got her chance." His eyes grew desperate. "Please. Save Seo."

"I can't," the entity reiterated. "It's too dangerous. I'm sorry."

The crackle of sparks began, again, around the Doctor. As the entity's grasp over time began to ebb, and time restarted on its intended course.

"Please!" the Doctor shouted.

But then the Paradox Machine exploded. The TARDIS cracked around him, light spilling in from all sides, as the whole thing seared away into nothing.

And the Doctor died.

The entity lingered, closing his eyes in pain. Hating the destruction and deaths, but unable to stop them. Unable to fix a timeline broken to begin with.

"I can't return you to your family," said the entity. "But I promise. I'll make sure Buffy knows you didn't abandon her."


	68. Chapter 68

Martha's World:

Seo woke up.

She wasn't in the boiler room, anymore. Wasn't chained up. Wasn't restrained at all, or even uncomfortable. She was lying in a luxurious bed, attired in nice clothes, and — for the first time since she'd come here — she didn't feel weak. Didn't feel drugged or sluggish or poisoned at all.

There was a large window, to the side. Showing dark drapes of night, looming over the pacific ocean. The reflection of the moon shining silver upon the waves.

Seo jerked upright, looking around, suddenly panicked.

Had she given in? No. No, she hadn't. She knew she hadn't! Even if her mind was still spinning with the promises the Master had made to her. What he'd told her she could have, if she gave in.

The Earth, to rebuild and remake.

The human race, which she could free from their bondage and servitude.

Jack.

Her father.

Time travel.

All that, as long as Seo gave the Master that one symbol of her ultimate surrender to him. Finding and killing Martha Jones. Crossing that line, forever.

_When you blur that line, Seo, when you step across it — you change. And it is very, very hard to change back_.

But maybe… after so much misery and horror… Seo just didn't care, anymore.

"Time to cross a line," Seo decided, getting up, fire in her eyes. Feeling her strength inside her body. "One I can't uncross."

It was time to get over her fear.

And kill the Master.

Seo raced out of the room. Striding across the Valiant, almost on automatic, searching and seeking and hunting in the dark corridors of the airship. A predator, looking for her prey.

She burst onto the flight deck of the Valiant, taking in the scene around her. Lights on, her aged father in his wheelchair, Francine Jones cleaning the floors with a rag, nearby, Clive sweeping and Tish dusting.

Seo narrowed her eyes at Francine.

Took in everything around her, then leapt, full force, knocking the wire holding up the newly installed chandelier, so that it wavered over the unsuspecting Francine, then snapped and began to fall.

Seo's eyes widened. She raced out, grabbing up Francine and yanking her out of the way before the chandelier could smash down on top of her.

What? What was…? What had…?

But before Seo could quite register what was happening, she had already placed her hands around Francine's throat, and begun to throttle her.

Tish and Clive jumped on her, dragging her back. Seo let go, the moment she realized what she was doing. Forced herself free from Clive and Tish, as her mind began to shout at her all the ways she could kill them.

She shuddered back. Because when that instinct thought up ways to kill them — for the first time, ever, there was desire along with it.

A burning desire, inside of her, to kill them both.

Kill them all.

She hated them. Hated everyone, with that intense, raging hatred that she'd felt towards the Master. That all-consuming hatred that ate up everything else inside of her.

No!

NO!

Seo scrambled away from everyone. Plastering herself against the far wall. Not daring to move. Not daring to breathe.

"What am I doing?" she asked. "How's this happening to me?"

"That's pretty obvious, isn't it?" said the Master, entering the room with a grin on his face and a bounce in his step. "You've got an instinct telling you to work out how to destroy everyone and everything you come across." He stopped, bouncing on his toes. "All I had to do… was connect that instinct to the part of your mind that makes you _want_ to."

Seo seized up, against the wall. "No."

"And it was easy!" the Master said, with a laugh. "So, so easy. Because you hated me so much, already, all I had to do was redistribute that hatred. Make sure that was what you felt whenever you saw anyone. Anything." His eyes twinkled. "Except me, of course. You can't kill me, anymore. Not even if you tried. I made sure of that."

"I won't kill for you!" Seo said. Stuffing every ounce of fear deep down inside of her. "It's an instinct, not a demand. And I choose to ignore that instinct!" Her eyes blazed. "I don't kill people."

"Uh-uh-uh, that's not how it works," the Master tutted, gleefully. He rang a bell. "Allow me to demonstrate!"

Jack was dragged into the room, by a group of guards. Placed right beside Seo. So close that she could touch him.

"Seo…" Jack started.

Without even thinking about what she was doing, Seo punched through the inner wall of the flight deck room, grabbed an electrical cable, and fried Jack to death with it.

Seo's eyes went wide, as Jack dropped to the ground, dead. As she stumbled back, scarcely registering what she'd just done. Done on instinct. Done without thinking.

"No," said Seo.

Everyone else on the flight deck of the Valiant was staring at her in absolute horror. As if she really were the monster she knew she was, deep down inside.

"No!" Seo shouted. She stumbled backwards, even farther, squeezing her eyes shut. "Not this! Not again! Stop it! Stop it!"

"I'm not doing anything," said the Master. "It's all you, little Weapon. All you, about to kill off Martha's family. About to strangle your father. About to kill every single person in this room except me. _You're_ the one doing that. You _want_ to."

And she could feel it. That intense rage. That hatred, searing across her mind. The hatred that wanted her to do it. Wanted her to get rid of them all.

"Make it stop!" Seo shouted. "Please! Just make this…!"

Jack gasped back to life.

And Seo killed him, again, without thinking. Scarcely even aware of what she was doing. Just ripped his head off his body, in a single movement.

She dropped the head to the ground.

And screamed.

"One way to stop this," the Master reminded her. "One way to make sure your father, the Freak, and the Joneses survive your wrath. Do you give in? Make me your Master?"

"Yes!" Seo screamed.

The moment the word left her lips, a sudden sense of utter relief washed across her. A feeling that… finally… _finally_ … this was all over.

The Master's happy beam was even more deranged than usual.

"Yes what?" he challenged. His eyes flicking across the room. "Tell them what you've just agreed to do. Announce it to the world. Your first mission for me."

"Yes, I… surrender to you," said Seo, squeezing her eyes shut. "I'm going to find and kill Martha Jones."

A heavy silence settled across the room. Every single set of eyes fixed on Seo. Every single person, there, scarcely daring to breathe, as they took in the news.

She felt the laser screwdriver, beneath her chin, tilting her head upwards. Seo opened her eyes. Stared up into the Master's smiling face. His malicious, gloating expression.

"Swear it," the Master told her. He stepped back, holding open his arms. "Kneel before me, Seosyrae, and swear your undying allegiance to your Master." His eyes landed on the Doctor, pride swelling through him. "Swear to love me," he commanded Seo. "To give me all. To risk any pain to get me what I want. Swear your servitude to me, and me alone. Because that is your nature."

Seo stepped forward, about to fall to her knees before him. But stopped.

_Love. Give. Forgive. Risk the pain_.

"Swear," the Master said, his eyes intense, fixed on hers. "Kneel down and give me everything. Voluntarily."

Seo stepped back. "You win," she told the Master. "Everything I am, everything I will be — it's yours. I'm yours. Your servant. Your slave. Forever. I'll swear." She took a deep breath. "Just… give me a chance to apologize, first."

The Master thought this over. Then grinned, seeming to allow it. Clearly seeing this as yet one more opportunity to make sure the Doctor knew that he — the Master — had won.

Seo turned to the Doctor. Her father. Looking at her with such disappointment.

"I'm sorry," she said. "For what I'm about to do. Martha… was my friend. My first friend. But I… just… can't stand it. I can't go through this, anymore. I can't stand up to him."

The Doctor didn't answer.

Seo turned to the decapitated Jack. "You can't hear, Jack, but… I'm sorry," said Seo. She swallowed, heavily. "You told me to keep up the good fight. Never give in. But I'm not as brave as you thought. Not as strong as I wanted to be."

She glanced up at the ceiling. "And for Mom, Alison, Luke, everyone else up there," Seo called. "Everyone who believed in me. I'm sorry. So sorry. For everything."

She turned to Martha's family. Clive, Francine, and Tish, all glaring at her with bitter, angry glares. Their eyes thunderous, their expressions venomous, as they watched her agree to kill Martha.

"And for you…" Seo began. Then stopped. Shook her head, with a small laugh. "No. No apologies for you."

In the window behind Seo, the first tendrils of dawn peaked out over the horizon. The sun reflecting off the crests of the waves of the Pacific Ocean.

"Just," Seo continued, "my gift."

In a flash, she spun on her heels. Raced towards the window of the flight deck, fast as she could, darting out of the way of gunfire and guards as the Master shouted at people to stop her, then leapt at the window, smashing through the glass, and tumbling through the open air. Wind rushing through her hair.

As she felt herself falling…

Falling…

* * *

"No!" shouted the Master, utter fury on his face. He stomped on the ground. "That wasn't fair! That wasn't fair!"

From the other end of the room, the Jones family just stared at the hole where the window used to be. Stared at where Seo had thrown herself from the Valiant.

Her gift to them. To Martha.

"She killed herself," Tish breathed, "so Martha would survive."

"She did _not_ kill herself!" the Master snapped at them all, as he approached the window. "She isn't dead! She's just regenerated! This changes nothing! The programming I put into her mind will still hold!"

The Doctor shook his head. Sadly. "You know she didn't. She chose not to."

"She's dead," said Francine. "Really dead."

"No!" the Master screamed. "You're wrong! You're all wrong! She did not beat me! She did not win! She's a weak, puny, spineless little Cupcake!" He spun around, to face the Joneses. Pointed at the broken window. "You. Fix the window!" He spun to face the guards. "And you lot! Get me her body! I'll show her who's going to pretend to die around here!"

Then he raced out of the room, the fury emanating from him palpable — thick in the air.

Jack, from the corner, gasped back to life.

"What…? Where…?" Jack said. Then his eyes drifted across the sad, shocked faces, and towards the punched-through window. The window… Jack knew… only one person would be strong enough to punch through.

He jumped to his feet.

"No," he said. Ran to the remains of the window. "No, please no. Please. Tell me she didn't. Tell me…"

No one said a word.

Jack dropped to his knees, unable to physically stand. His head falling down to his chest.

And for the first time since Ianto had died, Jack broke down into violent, passionate tears.


	69. Chapter 69

Seo's World:

"Elizabeth."

Buffy turned, as dawn broke across the horizon, behind her. Standing up on that platform, the portal swirling beneath her feet.

There, standing just behind her, as if he'd appeared from nowhere, was the Doctor. Brown pinstripe suit, spiky hair, and sad brown eyes.

"You came back," said Buffy.

"I wouldn't ever abandon you," said the Doctor. "I care about you. My family. More than anything else. I want you to know that."

Buffy raced towards him, wanting to sweep him up into a hug and kiss him, one last time. But stopped, as she approached. Hesitated. Realized… if she even just touched him… she'd lose her resolve. Be unable to go through with it.

"This is goodbye," said Buffy. Wiping a tear from her eye. "I have to do this. For the world. The universe. For… Seo."

The Doctor nodded. "I know."

Buffy turned, stepped forward. Then stopped, her toes over the edge of the platform, the wind whipping through her hair. Looked over her shoulder, at the Doctor.

"Promise me one thing," said Buffy. "Please. Keep Seo safe."

All confidence on the Doctor's face vanished. As he seemed suddenly hesitant, worried, out of sorts.

"Promise!" Buffy said.

"I… I promise," said the Doctor.

Buffy smiled at him. Then turned back. Closed her eyes.

And dove off the end of the platform, towards that swirling portal. Feeling the wind rush through her hair, as she was falling…

Falling…

* * *

The entity the Powers that Be had nicknamed 'the Embarrassment' stood on that platform, in the shape of the Doctor's 10th incarnation. Staring at Buffy, as she jumped into the portal, and died. As the universe began to shake and shatter around him.

Realizing what he'd just promised.

_Keep Seo safe_.

The last wish of a dying mother.

"I can't," said the Embarrassment.

He looked out at the crowds of people, below, stampeding through the streets, the entire world shaking, as the stability of the universe gave way. Spike turning to dust, somewhere down below, leaving one tiny child all alone.

One little girl, Seosyrae, lost in the sea of people, at the end of her own universe.

"I can't!" the Embarrassment repeated.

The sky shattered above him, the screams of people nearby chorusing through the air, their every breath filled with terror, and their every shout one of desperation. Praying for a salvation that would never come.

And the Embarrassment realized he had, almost subconsciously, floated down from the platform, and onto the street. In the midst of the sea of people. In the midst of the panic.

The ground split open, beside him. People falling in.

"I… can't…" the Embarrassment began.

But then he saw her.

Seosyrae, curled up beneath a bush, crying for a mommy and daddy who were dead, trying to be brave when she hadn't the first idea what that meant.

Little Seo.

_Keep Seo safe_.

The ground began to crack beneath her. Energy searing across her skin, as the child grew more and more terrified, crying over an end she didn't understand.

And the Embarrassment knew.

Had always known.

What he would do.

He stepped over to Seo, fading into corporeality. "Seosyrae?"

She looked at him through tear-stained eyes, and he picked her up from the ground. Held her in his arms, disentangling her personal timeline from this universe — this reality — turning her into an independent element.

He would install a dummy in her place, later. A stand-in, to repeat her actions as the timeline looped round and round again.

Seo sobbed into his chest, as reality crumbled around them.

The two of them, standing in the middle of it, untouched. Protected.

"Shh," said the Embarrassment. "Shh. It's all right. You're safe. I promise."

Safe.

Now, and forever.

It was the worst promise the Embarrassment could possibly keep. And the best thing the Embarrassment had ever done.

And, Seo in his arms, the Embarrassment took her with him. As he stepped out of the dying timeline. And into the Axis Hub.

Little Seosyrae.

Someday, he knew… she would be amazing.

* * *

...xxx...

* * *

Martha's World:

Martha Jones had barely made it out of Japan alive.

And had arrived in America.

She'd heard rumors, from the whisper channels, that the Master had uncovered some way to find her. Track her down. Kill her, before she had time to complete the Doctor's mission.

But that rumor never amounted to anything.

America, once the land of opportunity… now reduced to this barren wasteland. Filled with labor camps and hopeless people toiling beneath gigantic statues.

Martha walked across America. Doing what she did best. Sitting people down and telling them about the Doctor. Inspiring them to believe, again. Asking them to spread the news, spread the word, tell others what she'd told them.

And then, one day, in the Midwest…

"The Doctor?" a woman asked. Quirked an eyebrow at Martha. "You mean the same Doctor the kids keep talking about?"

Martha frowned. Surprised. "The kids?"

Turned out, in this labor camp, the kids had all heard of the Doctor, already. Had been playing games, whenever they could get away from their forced labor, in which they pretended to use sonic screwdrivers to save the world from evil monsters.

"Where did you hear these stories?" Martha asked the kids.

They beamed at her. "From the Good Witch!"

Martha raised her eyebrows. She'd never heard of the Good Witch, before.

"The Good Witch comes whenever children are sad," said one of the kids.

"Wherever kids are starving, she shows up," added another.

"With blankets, and toys, and games, and food, and everything!" chimed in a third.

"And stories!" shouted a forth. "Those are the best!"

Martha asked the adults about this, but they all rolled their eyes.

"The Good Witch doesn't actually exist, you know," said one of the men. "She's just a rumor. A myth. An urban legend. No one's ever seen her."

"Except the kids," Martha said.

"Yeah, but you can't believe what kids tell you," said a woman, nearby. "They're just playing."

"Rumor has it… the Good Witch wanders around the United States, helping the children," said another woman. "Always reaching out to help suffering children. No matter what."

Martha talked to the kids, some more. Her curiosity peaked. Wondering who this Good Witch was, why the Master wasn't out hunting for her, and why the adults didn't believe she was real.

She heard the kids' stories. They weren't the same stories Martha had been telling. And they weren't just of the Doctor. They were also about… One Girl In All The World, who battled back the forces of darkness.

"Okay, kids, that's enough," said Abigail, one of the women from the workhouse, trying to shoo the children away from Martha. "If the UFC sees you gathering in one place, they'll get suspicious."

Martha watched, as the children ran off. "The Good Witch…" she mused. "Who helps children. And knows Buffy."

Well. That cleared up who the Good Witch was.

"Oh, the Good Witch? I've met her," Abigail offered. "She's nice."

Martha snapped her head around. To examine the older adult woman. "You've seen her?"

"Sure," said Abigail. She laughed. "She's not invisible, you know. The only reason the children can see her, and the adults can't, is because the children _want_ to see her."

"And you?"

Abigail looked out after the children. Her face looking sad. "I had a son and daughter," she said. "Once." She turned back to Martha. "I guess… I just… wanted to believe. That there really was someone out there, wandering around, saving children. A guardian angel for those who need her most."

Martha nodded, solemnly.

Abigail looked out at the disappearing kids, again. "It's not just the Doctor and Buffy she tells them about," she said, almost too soft for Martha to pick up. "There's… someone else, too. The Good Witch calls her… 'the dawn'."

"The dawn," Martha repeated.

Her theories about the Good Witch's identity suddenly seeming far less likely.

"A friend of hers, I think." Abigail's eyes glanced up at the sky. At the Valiant, hanging in the distance, far away. "She's the reason the Good Witch is here," said Abigail. "When the Master came for the Good Witch, this friend gave herself up, instead. Took the Witch's place."

Martha's eyes went up to the Valiant. Her face settling into a deep frown.

"And that's why the Good Witch does it," said Abigail. "Or that's what she told me. Because… her friend… loved children. Wanted to protect them. Save them."

"The Good Witch does it in her name," Martha realized. "Her memory. Her honor."

Abigail nodded.

"Amazing," said Martha. She gave a soft smile. "Just… amazing."

* * *

Martha was rushing out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, when… she saw her.

The Good Witch.

A figure, not far away, hard to look at but easier if you wanted to see her. A tallish girl, with long brown hair, and piercing blue eyes. Martha could spot a TARDIS key around her neck.

A TARDIS key, just like the one Martha was wearing.

And although Martha had never seen this person before in her life, didn't recognize her and didn't know her, Martha thought there was something… familiar about her.

Almost Seo. But… distinctly not.

The girl beamed. Waved at Martha.

Martha waved back.

Then the girl turned, and set off, again. The Good Witch, who helped the children. The Good Witch, saved by a friend who'd given herself to the Master in the Good Witch's place.

"Good luck," Martha whispered, into the empty air.


	70. Part V: After the Year

The landed Valiant was still perched just behind them. But the moment it had landed, the moment the passengers had stepped out onto the tarmac, Jack had seen Seo. Standing there. Waiting for him. Just the way she'd looked, before the Year had ever started.

Jack rushed out, grabbed Seo up into a tight hug. Told her, over and over again, that he forgave her, that he was sorry, that he hadn't run away from her, that he loved her. That he was and will always be proud of her.

The things he'd longed, for a year, to say to her.

And when they'd gotten through all the regrets, all the pains, all the reunions and revelations and I-love-yous, Jack leaned down. Hands on Seo's shoulders. Looked into her eyes, double checking.

"You… don't remember?" Jack asked her, quietly. "Any of it?"

Seo seemed puzzled. "Don't remember what?" she asked.

"The Year that Never Was."

Seo quirked an eyebrow at him. "You're going to have to be a lot more specific than that," she told him. "I grew up in the Axis. In a land of years that never were."

Jack scrutinized her more closely. Trying to find any traces of darkness in her expression. Traces of haunted eyes. Traces of that Year that might have lingered, even deep down in her psyche.

"The first year of my life never technically existed," Seo offered, bouncing on her toes, eyes glowing, expression light and cheery. "Is that what you're talking about?"

Jack stepped back, straightening. A grin plastered across his face, as he shook his head.

She didn't remember. Any of it.

Thank the universe for small mercies.

And Jack had kept thinking that. Until Buffy had shown up — released, by Willow, from Seo's bomb shelter — and tackled him into a hug. Made him swear not to go 'mega-dying on us ever again', and then leapt up to her feet, turning on Seo.

That was when Jack had seen it.

The hints of tears welling up inside Seo's eyes. The tremble in her jaw.

Buffy went up to Seo, her face bent into a frown of concern. "Seo?"

"I'm fine," said Seo, turning away. Wiping at her eyes. "Fine."

* * *

"Seo remembers Buffy dying," said Jack. "You saw her break down. That means she remembers all of it, right?"

The Doctor shook his head. Then… hesitated.

Martha turned to the Doctor. "Is that something Time Lords can do?" she asked. "Remember a stray timeline after time's been reversed?"

The Doctor hmmed and hawed over this. "Well," he said. "She's not exactly a Time Lady, you know."

Jack, Martha, and every member of Martha's family gave the Doctor exactly the same pointed look. In their book, Seo had proved herself a lot more worthy of the title of noble 'Time Lord' than the psychotic Master.

"If… she does remember," Tish offered, a little hesitantly, sneaking a peak over at Seo, "if her mind's still affected by what the Master did… to her… at the end…"

The Doctor dismissed this with the wave of his hand.

"Seo died, during the Year," the Doctor told them. "Full stop. No regeneration. No recovery. No nothing. You all saw it."

They'd all seen the body. On the Valiant.

The Master had brought it up. Waiting for her to do something clever to come back to life. Waiting for her to reveal her ultimate plan. But… there hadn't been one.

Seo had really died, during that Year. There was no denying that.

"That gave her a reset," said the Doctor. "Mind, body — everything's back to the way it was before." He thrust his hands into his pockets. "After all. For her, none of it ever really happened."

"So why does she remember Buffy dying?" Martha asked.

The Doctor blew a breath out of his cheeks. "Well, she did grow up in the Axis. Spent nearly a century surrounded by timelines edited out of the universe. Growing up with a space-time anomaly like that in your house… well… suppose it must have rubbed off on her. Made her so she'd remember… at least a vague impression of what happened, in an alternate reality."

"Doctor," said Jack, very seriously. "Does she remember what the Master did to her? Does she remember…?"

The branding.

The poisoned cupcakes.

The death of Gwen Cooper.

The betrayal from the Toclafane.

The mental invasion.

Watching Jack die, over and over again.

Throwing herself from the Valiant, because she refused to kill Martha.

"Naw," the Doctor said. "Couldn't have. If she'd remembered, she'd look just like the rest of you lot. Not cheerful and happy and normal."

"Right," muttered Martha, shooting the Doctor a pointed stare. "Because she's not related to anyone who has a history of suppressing emotional trauma."

But after spending all day questioning Seo, letting her tag along with them, keeping a careful eye on her, they'd seen no evidence that she remembered anything. No evidence that she was moved or affected by anything that might trigger a memory of her time on the Valiant. Not even the cupcake Martha had given her sparked any reaction. Other than her breakdown over seeing her mom alive, again, Seo seemed completely normal.

By the end of the day, they all reconvened. Exchanged notes. And decided.

"She doesn't remember anything," said Martha. "Except a lingering trace from her mum's death. But that's it."

"Nothing else," the Doctor confirmed. "Back to the way she was, before."

"Thank God," Jack muttered.

They decided to leave the matter at that. Get back to trying to heal themselves from the trauma they'd undergone, trying to fix the TARDIS, and letting the Doctor get on with funeral rights for the Master.

Seo's death had given her a reset.

Her death. Her gift.

Not just to Martha, but to herself. Giving her another chance.

The next day, when Seo showed up, beaming and smiling and offering to help them fix the TARDIS and things, they all turned. Stared at her.

"You… cut your hair," Jack said. "Changed your hairstyle."

Seo reached up to the brand new row of bangs, now completely hiding her forehead from view. A flicker of something desperate and furious and pained washing across her face, just for an instant, as she patted her bangs down, as if wanting to hide some mark that lay just behind them.

Then the expression vanished, replaced by a happy beam. "So I did!"

"Why… did you do that?" Jack asked her.

Seo hesitated.

"No reason," she said.

* * *

THE END

* * *

Next chapter... a sneak peak of the next season of the Child of Balime!


	71. Next Season, on the Child of Balime...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm grouping these stories into "Seasons", even though they're not, really. But this is a sneak peak at the next group of stories!

  
_Next season, on the Child of Balime..._

* * *

"Sure! There are lots of different dimensions of time, you know." Seo tilted her head to the side, making rapid and nonsensical hand gestures, as if to illustrate her point. "You can have a future that sort of wibbles about, like this… or you can have it wobble, a bit more like this… or maybe a bit of a spinny sort of swirly-gig sort of motion… or a bobbing type of—"

"You can see the future?"

Seo shook her head. "Nah. I just see the wibbling."

— _"Trials"_  


* * *

"Torchwood's outside the government, beyond the police," Alison explained to her parents. "And what they do, basically, is find and chase down aliens."

For a few seconds, her parents said nothing. Just stared at her.

"Well, it's about time!" Alison's dad shouted, slamming his fist down on the table, to make a point. "Those good-for-nothing aliens, rushing in and taking people's jobs. This is Britain, not Czechoslovakia!"

— _"First Day"_  


* * *

Robson, one of the only Watchers to survive Caleb's attack back in 2003, had volunteered to be the one to escort Ria down the aisle. Dawn was Ria's Maid of Honor. Willow and Kennedy had gotten roles as the secondary bridesmaids. And… much to her horror…

Faith was a flower girl.

"Don't say a word!" Faith hissed at Buffy, while dressed up in her lacy pink dress for the wedding rehearsal. Her eyes were bitter and glaring.

Buffy had to hide her face not to crack up.

"Seriously," said Faith, bracing her bouquet in the air. "You wanna find out how hard I can hit someone with this?"

— _"Till Demons, Death, or Alien Invasions Do Us Part"_  


* * *

"Oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God," Dawn kept muttering, pacing her cell, hands running through her hair. "I'm, like, the anti-Martin-Luther-King. I mean, here I am, trying to be all superhero! And I wind up being the person who changes history so slavery never ends!"

— _"Slavery and Freedom"_  


* * *

"And what if I lose?" asked Seo.

"Then we play again!" the Celestial Toymaker replied. "And again. And again."

"Until I win?" Seo asked.

The Toymaker said nothing, grinning.

No. Clearly not.

"Until I stop amusing you," Seo corrected. "And you get bored with me and throw me away."

"But I'm guessing you'll be plenty amusing," the Celestial Toymaker said, clasping his hands behind his back. "Someone as… unique as you."

"And why shouldn't I just beat you into a bloody pulp until you do what I want?" Seo asked. It was sounding like a better and better option, every minute.

— _"Cheaters"_  


* * *

"And… and… stop giving me that look!" the Doctor said. "I am _not_ embarrassing! I am _cool_!"

Seo just kept giving him that I-am-so-hideously-embarrassed-I'm-going-to-hide-in -a-cave-for-the-next-400-years look.

The Doctor spun around. "Clara!" he called. "Aren't I cool?"

Clara glanced up at him. Shrugged. "Whatever you say, chin-boy."

* * *

"The assassin is mentally unstable, I believe," said the Emperor. "But that's not important. You are—"

"Really?" Seo cut in. "Just your average nutcase off the street? Bit odd. After all, he seemed to know you quite well. And you seemed perfectly familiar around him." She reflected. "And… it's interesting, see. Because you have all these titles and honors and whatnot, declaring the wars you've fought in and the victories you've won, but… you don't look like the warrior type." She gestured at the door. "He does."

"Seo!" the aunt hissed, in warning, as she noticed the security guards drawing out their weapons.

— _"_ _Replacements"_  


* * *

"Skipping your evening prayers, then?" said John Hart, approaching from the shadows. He shook his head, tsking, softly. "Naughty, naughty."

"Says the man who tried to put a hand down my dress in public," Seo pointed out. She tossed some hair behind her shoulders, scrutinizing him, carefully. "Was that a proposition? Or were you just checking me for weapons?"

"What's the point in sex without weapons?" said John, moving closer and wrapping his arms around her waist. "That'd take the fun right out of it."

— _"Mr. Hart"_  


* * *

"Thing is, Buffy, there's something wrong with Seo," said Dawn. "Mega wrong. Whole-year-of-her-life-we-don't-know-about wrong. And I'd never have found out… if I hadn't met Gray."

— _"Saving Gray"_  


* * *

"I _knew_ ," Seo realized. Stumbled back, a little. "I'd worked it all out, right at the start. Bilis Manger… he'd told it all to me, last year. So I knew what was going to happen. And what it meant." She looked deep into Jack's eyes. "But I couldn't stop it. My past had finally caught up with me."

— _"The Making of Bilis Manger"_  


* * *

Watch my profile page for more updates!


End file.
